Braid

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior development manager for Sun Tribe Solar, a commercial solar company based in Virginia. We are the largest distributed renewable energy in the Commonwealth and the fastest-growing renewable energy company in the Mid-Atlantic. I am also the brand guardian and in charge of our marketing as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Braid?

It was really important for us to give our overall web presence a refresh to help bring our brand up to the quality of work that we were already doing in the industry.

At Sun Tribe, we don’t really have clients; we think of the institutions we work with as partners, and those partners—often leading universities, municipalities, school districts, and private sector companies—want a solar provider they can trust, and who share their values. We were already having success in that marketplace; it was just time to communicate it more effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to convey as much information in as streamlined and user-friendly an experience as possible. Each of our partners has different energy needs, which means helping provide them with the right solution. To do that, we were looking for the most seamless way to help the user get to the page that they were searching for – which would help them get to the information they need – as simply as possible.

One of the pieces to the site that Braid helped us think through and implement was our navigation menu. We worked together in a couple of different group meetings to really identify how it was that we would convey this information. They brought us an option for our mega menu which we hadn’t seen deployed in our industry this way. They also brought us a content management system for our website.

They really listened and asked a lot of questions, and essentially delivered a report that outlined what they wanted to showcase based on the information we were able to provide to them. From there, we identified different moments that we wanted to create within the website to showcase a little bit more about our values and bringing joy to the experience of interacting with our company.

The site was built from the ground up. They did all the development and led the charge on the redesign, but they also brought in additional resources to help us find the right design fit for our site. They found someone with a portfolio that really matched the style we were looking for, brought them directly into the process, and then did all the development based on the designs provided by the designer.

One of the other things they were able to do for us – and which helped fill an important need early in the client-partner interaction process – was helping build a tool for the site called a solar calculator, which we haven’t been able to find replicated in our industry. It gives users a chance to draw out a roof or land area they’re thinking about using for solar and then gives them a potential solar system size that would match. We felt that this was a way for us to give a user a unique experience on our website that they wouldn’t get anywhere else, and is an important part of helping them understand the possibilities that can come with their particular property. It works on mobile as well which was a really unique challenge, and we feel really proud of the product. 

We have an open line of communication in the way that we approach the project. They are still helping us with pieces of it and have made changes to tailor things to our needs as necessary.

The only reason we don’t have more is really on us to continue to develop it. We have lots of other elements planned, and what we liked best about Braid’s design is that it will allow us to continue to evolve and add to our site, as needed.

What is the team composition?

I think there were five people from Braid’s team that were dedicated to the project.

How did you come to work with Braid?

I had worked with members of the Braid team on different projects years ago before that business was founded, and I had a good experience then but had lost touch over the years.

We saw a website and asked the executive director of that company who they worked with to build it and it turned out to be Braid. We did get quotes from other companies as well, but we thought that Braid was by far the best fit for what we were looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them on this project in February 2019, and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Aside from helping us to publicly show our position within the industry, it has been important to help with recruitment. We’re a fast-growing company, but growth can never come at a cost of company culture and finding the absolute best and most talented professionals to come work here.  Often, when we ask people how they found out about our company, they mention the website and how beautiful it is, as well as the language and the photos, and they can see themselves working for this kind of company. That’s important to us.

We’ve also seen a growing number of partners, industry professionals, and other groups linking out our site on social media, in part because they feel that the website is a good representation of the type of work experience that they have had with us. Likewise, internally within our company, there has been a lot of celebration within our staff to see the website and brand be a leader within the industry and to really rally behind it. 

The solar calculator has been an opportunity that allows us to go above and beyond the expectation of the user visiting the site for the first time, and helps educate potential partners, which is something that’s really important to us. Braid heard the challenge and looked for a way to solve it in a way that was really thoughtful when there wasn’t necessarily a recipe for how to do it. 

We have been able to adapt the website to our needs without having to go back and do additional development work. As we grow, the site has been able to grow with us in a way that feels very in line with our overall brand.

How did Braid perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is incredible. The experience of working with their whole team has been wonderful, and they hit every single deadline. We wanted to have the website live before a pretty major industry event, and they were always available to help make sure that was going to be possible. We hit the launch right when we said we would, and they helped pull us along.

We have a shared Slack channel, and we are always able to get extremely quick responses. We work together to show the documentation through the Slack channel, and then sometimes we go offline and speak with each other on the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The experience of working with them, and having them hit always hit their deadlines was, wonderful from a client perspective. They helped bring out the best in us. Sometimes you are waiting on the other partner to fulfill their obligation, but Braid was always available.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No—we’d be thrilled to work with them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have the opportunity to meet with the Braid team in person and have a collective meeting to kick off your partnership working with them, it is really worth it, and I would make the effort to have that experience. It isn’t necessary, but it is very beneficial to take the time for that if you can.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Teak & Twine. We make custom gift boxes for weddings, client gifting, and corporate events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Braid?

We needed a way for our customers to be able to customize their gift boxes through our website, instead of us having to create all custom orders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely rebuilt our site from the ground up and reimagined every piece of functionality completely beyond our wildest expectations. That included the software where customers can create their own custom gifts, as well as a checkout process where people can send gifts to an unlimited number through a single checkout. They added really interesting features such as a quiz to our homepage and great functionality for synching our site to several email marketing lists.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people from their team: Luan (Co-Founder & Software Engineer, Braid), Justin (Senior Engineer, Braid), and a little with Chris (Web Developer, Braid).

How did you come to work with Braid?

I was looking at a website that had just launched, which had some really interesting functionality as far as customization. It reminded me of some of the things that I wanted to include, so I scrolled to the bottom, saw who made it and shot them an email.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent between $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from December 2017–May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our website sales are up by 30% since the launch. A feature that I expected to be 20% of our store sales is currently accounting for 60% and people absolutely love it. One of the coolest things is the time saved as our customers no longer have to call with their inquiries.

It’s also awesome that I can reach out with any improvements that I want as the site grows and we’ve developed new ideas. They keep making it better.

How did Braid perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed really well and used Slack and ClickUp so I always knew exactly what they were working on. They were incredibly responsive and kept in touch every step of the way.

One of the coolest things they did was come and visit me in person. We sat down for probably eight hours and went through every single page on my current site to talk about how it could be optimized. I brought them ideas from other websites and things that I wanted to include, then they went from there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They level-up every idea to the greatest of their ability, even if it takes them more time. The project price stayed fixed, but they still always responded to my ideas. I ended up with a site that wasn’t just a good execution of my idea, but an outstanding execution of something completely beyond what I could have imagined.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’m their biggest fan.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s the best investment I have ever made in my business. Clients will get ROI after working with them.