buildrrDIGITAL

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president and CPA for Bahamas Jet Boat. I do operations, accounting, and HR. We are the largest provider of jet boat tours in Nassau, Bahamas. Our vision is to make the customer feel they got way more than what they paid for. Everything that we do, including our website, is high-quality, and customers get more than they expect.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We needed help with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our very interactive website using HTML. The site features video and photos, but it’s also a full booking system designed specifically for our needs. We have a backend login for our staff and for our agents who sell the tours on our behalf. I have administrative rights to all of the bookings in our database, which serves as an accounting function. Through our site, customers can book online by selecting the date, time, and number of tickets they need, and pay via credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Then, they receive a confirmation email. Customers can also contact us through the site.

They also assisted with SEO when we first launched. I recently did some upgrades to the site. We have a monthly maintenance contract with them.

What is the team composition?

I work only with the CEO, and he has other people he delegates to.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

They were recommended to me by my sister-in-law who had used them for her site. I was looking at both local and international companies. I chose Buildrr because they responded to me very quickly. They gave me a great price for what I was looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016. The second phase was completed in February 2018. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every month, the volume of bookings increases. The SEO was very good; it helped us to jumpstart our business. We use Google Analytics which tells us that customers stay on the site for an average of three minutes, which is really good. We have a high percentage of customers that stay on the site even longer. We haven’t had any major issues with payment and customer bookings.

How did Buildrr perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job with project management. We use Skype and Zoom for our meetings, and we communicate via phone messaging and email. We have multiple ways to reach each other. They’re very responsive.

If there’s a deliverable, it happens. Michael, (CEO, Buildrr) is very hands-on, which trickles down to his team who also work hard to meet deadlines. If they can’t make it happen when we agreed, they always send me an email to update me on the reason why. Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, their communication gives me comfort to know it’s still going to get done. Their customer service is exceptional.

They go above and beyond. They know what’s out there and suggest what would improve my services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The major distinguishing factors for me are the way that the company operates, their communication, and project management.

Also, Michael puts his personality into the relationship. He’s taken the time to get to know our business and what affects us. If he hears something relevant to our business in the news, he asks us about it. All of these things play into his counsel of how we move forward with the project. He adds a personal touch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It’s really been a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep your own notes and information about your project and collaborate with Buildrr. Both parties need to come up with ideas and share them to get the best out of your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a leading dealer of computer numerical control (CNC) equipment and machine tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Buildrr?

We engaged Buildrr to create an updated and dynamic website. At that time, our company website was very outdated and only provided basic information.

What were your goals for this project?

We prioritized both form and function for this project. An updated aesthetic was a must to properly communicate our company image, while an intuitive UX would allow our customers to obtain detailed information about multiple machines. We were also interested in a simple, user-friendly platform that would allow us to easily update information.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online and received recommendations from industry partners. This list included more than 10 potential web design companies. After interviewing the companies, we narrowed it down to two final candidates. We ultimately selected Buildrr based on their project experience, customer focus, and competitive pricing.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided the initial overview of the project. One significant aspect was an extensive machine database and a corresponding media library, which included images, brochures, and videos. From there, we had a number of discussions with Michael (CEO, Buildrr) about the final scope of work. He made suggestions based on his experience and our needs.

What was the team composition?

While there were several people working on our project, Michael was our main point of contact. This simplified the process on our side, as he was always up-to-date on every aspect of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received very positive feedback from our customers as well as our internal sales team, as the new website is an excellent sales tool. In particular, we appreciated Buildrr’s insight and focus on user interaction, allowing us to include frontend features to the scope of work that we might have missed otherwise. Plus, they accommodated our request to complete our new website in time for a trade show.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The entire project was very organized, thanks to Michael and his team. We used Teamwork to manage communication, milestones, and tasks. Since everything was in a central location, we could easily track progress during the entire process. As a result, we clearly understood the responsibilities on our side as far as edits and feedback were concerned. They helped us keep to our established schedule. Plus, their communication was excellent from start to finish.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our experience with them was incredibly positive. Buildrr’s team was both efficient and well-experienced.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Our industry is very specific and as such, a lot of information was necessary from our side to produce the right content for the site. While this slowed things down a little, Buildrr did an excellent job of keeping us on task. We have worked with a number of other web companies in the past, and follow-through is very important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm part owner of The Coin Trading Company. We trade bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We needed a website to automate our counterparty onboarding process, which includes facial recognition, customer logs, and knowledge-based authentication (KBA). The goal was to build a comprehensive profile for each person we’re trading with using third-party information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The authentication processes required a custom-built website with minimal template use. In addition, Buildrr also created a trading platform that logs users’ trade activity in databases. We can download that information as CSV files.

Counterparties can create an account on the website. Once they verify their email, users must provide their name, address, phone number, state ID, and a selfie via webcam or mobile phone. Our API pull uses facial recognition technology to compare the selfie and ID, which we keep on file. On the backend, we’re able to track users’ authentication progress and data from the ID. Next, users take a KBA quiz comprising three-to-five questions from their credit reports. They have to answer those correctly to get approval to trade.

The website’s still a work in progress. ID verification has been live since January 2018. We’re working on bug fixes as we get closer to launching the platform.

What is the team composition?

I work with one main contact who has a team of people in India. I did coordinate with his SEO specialist, but that person left the company. They’re now transitioning to another SEO resource.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

We have a friend who’s adept at website development. We made a deal that we’d coach him on trading Bitcoin if he found us a website builder; his search yielded seven companies. We interviewed them and reviewed their quotes and documentation. We chose Buildrr because of their experience in the financial and banking sector, and we have been extremely pleased with our choice because of the great communication we have had with Buildrr despite the high level understanding of logic, flow and process that is required for our site. When we have explained our needs, they have understood and even improved on our ideas and requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $34,000. The original quote was $27,000. We are over-budget in part due to changes that were made that have increased the scope in both complexity and functionality and in part due to potentially underestimating how long it would take to complete the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in August 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have metrics or qualitative feedback yet. My business partner and I will be creating an employee survey to see if they notice any improvement in onboarding new counterparties. Although the website has a few bugs and a slight learning curve, I expect people will find it a timesaver.

How did Buildrr perform from a project management standpoint?

Michael is a great project manager. He has always kept things moving forward and has been the perfect balance of pushing us for needed info (when he needs a question answered) and moving forward with his own guess as to what would be best (often better than what we had in mind). The project is taking longer than we expected, but we are getting a better end product than we even realized was possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our main contact has a financial background in banking and the credit card industry. He was the perfect person for the project because he understood our website’s logic. That was important because we deal with several variables in the user experience. We’ve enjoyed working with him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their estimates need to be more realistic. It’s better to under promise and over deliver.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready to answer a lot of questions, especially for a project like this one. It’s a true collaboration that requires a significant time investment. They ask questions constantly to make sure everything matches the client’s specifications.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small consulting firm based in Ottawa. We specialize in diversity and inclusion training for organizations around the world. I am a project manager for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We wanted to have a fresh approach for our website. Since we're a small consulting firm, the site development had been handled by my boss. We wanted to give it a more global feel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Buildrr offered us a series of templates to choose from. We weren't able to deploy the site until after Buildrr was purchased by another company. Their new owner was very helpful and made sure everything was done correctly, including our blog and Constant Contact instance. We have an in-line editor which allows me to make changes on upcoming events and other information without the need of any coding.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

Buildrr was competitively-priced, which was a huge part of the decision. For a Canadian company, working with a US-based agency costs a bit extra, but Buildrr was reasonable. They have been responsive and helpful in making sure that everything was working well. The service has been exceptional, especially after the new management took over.

How much have you invested with Buildrr?

We have gotten some grants and special deals along the way. The cost of our template from Buildrr was $6,000. We also have a monthly fee. Most of the content was made by ourselves. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Buildrr in 2013. The collaboration is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have specific metrics, but I would definitely highlight Buildrr's responsiveness. I don't know what their current setup is, but it allows for a lot of autonomy on our part. We can update the site and fix things without coding experience.

Our website provides a general overview of the company, so it's not really participatory. We have gotten additional business from the site. Buildrr made it look attractive, fixed any issues, and got it launched. Getting all of our content into it was a real challenge.

People can find what they're looking for within the site. It's accessible and easy to follow, with numerous menus for services and events; we've gotten good feedback for it.

How did Buildrr perform from a project management standpoint?

I've been impressed with Buildrr's responsiveness to anything from questions about invoices to ones about issues with the site. We know that someone will be there to answer our messages.

What did you find most impressive about Buildrr?

Buildrr has been very transparent and reachable, which makes them stand out nowadays when everything is bought through the Internet, and there isn't someone to actually interact with. Even though we purchased a template from Buildrr and didn't actually use them for design, they've been available to us, answering any questions we had.

Are there any areas Buildrr could improve?

Even though we're using a template, Buildrr has been responsive to any changes we wanted to make. The price point was also fair, so it was a good investment for our company.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Buildrr?

Clients should be straightforward about what they're looking for, and make sure that all the information is provided. They should make sure that they build a relationship with Buildrr's team, and get to know them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company provides media content. I am the Chief Executive Officer and founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We wanted to create a better experience for our users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Buildrr has provided all the work on the web-based side, working alongside our team and providing tech solutions for our ideas.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

Buildrr was referred to me a long time ago by someone else. The company was initially horrific to work with, but their new principal came in and it's been wonderful ever since. Things actually get done.

How much have you invested with Buildrr?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Buildrr in 2013. We ended the relationship after our first project because we didn't like the company and started working on development ourselves. After their new ownership came along, we went back to Buildrr. We're working on a project basis, and plan to get Buildrr into the mix based on our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, we've been satisfied with Buildrr. I don't have anything which could measure their performance other than the fact that we're still using Buildrr as a provider. We would have fired them a long time ago, otherwise.

What did you find most impressive about Buildrr?

There's nothing that I can think of right now.

Are there any areas Buildrr could improve?

There isn't anything that I could mention as of yet. I haven’t been working with this version of Buildrr for long enough to accurately give that answer.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Buildrr?

I don't have an answer for that. Buildrr is great, and I hope that they can maintain this level of customer service. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a New-York-based moving company providing services in the Tristate area, as well as state-wide and internationally. I am the Chief Information Officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We needed web development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Buildrr has been responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of one of our websites.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

Buildrr had already been selected when I joined the company.

How much have you invested with Buildrr?

I don't have this information.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Buildrr for 3 years, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website was developed during Buildrr's old management. When I joined the company, it wasn't in good shape at all. It had functionality and design problems, as well as many small bugs. Buildrr's new owner made a great effort of both understanding the website that he inherited, and taking responsibility for its problems, even though they weren't necessarily his fault. Buildrr's team then made an extra effort, and remained available for anything that we needed. Even when we discovered huge design flaws which were built-in, and needed to work around them, Buildrr went the extra mile in order to satisfy our needs.

What did you find most impressive about Buildrr?

I appreciated Buildrr's responsiveness and willingness to go the extra mile during difficult moments. I'm also satisfied with their professionalism. I've had a great collaboration with Buildrr since joining the company.

Are there any areas Buildrr could improve?

No.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Buildrr?

I really don’t have any advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a campus activities management company, hosting conferences for universities across the country, with live entertainment and educational experiences for college students and professionals in the field of higher education. I am the Vice President of Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Buildrr?

We wanted to better advertise to clients. Our company depends on event registrations and advertising our conferences not only to entertainers, vendors, and exhibitors, but also to universities and colleges.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Buildrr provided us with a website and functionality which achieved our overall business objective. Buildrr has built the website from the ground up, including designing its look-and-feel, allowing us to manage the content, images, links, and text. Buildrr helps us achieve any new updates for appearance and functionality.

How did you come to work with Buildrr?

I was not involved in the selection process, but I know that we initially chose a local company which didn't show us the attention that a website of this caliber needed.

How much have you invested with Buildrr?

The cost of our main project with Buildrr has been above $20,000. We've spent around $5,000 over the last year on updates.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Buildrr in 2013. The website has been completed. We've had a transition in terms of owners. The new owner and Chief Executive Officer of the company has been 100% better, improving communication with clients, as well as the responsiveness given to my requests and issues. As such, we've maintained an ongoing relationship with Buildrr, making changes to what the previous owners did.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had a hiccup and a few bumps in the road due to their previous owners, but we stuck with Buildrr, and have had a completely different relationship lately. Our expectations have been met, and we look forward to a continued partnership with Buildrr.

We have a lot of general positive feedback about the website, especially since the one that we had before was not very intuitive or user-friendly. For example, schools had to add up their own delegate fees by looking at a price sheet. Now, they can simply log on, select the conference for which they want to register, how many people are coming, what type of delegate fees they want to be associated with, and so on. The overall user experience is much improved.

What did you find most impressive about Buildrr?

Buildrr's owner has literally gone out of his way in order to ensure that every one of my requests would be filled to my expectations. He texted me after hours, before hours, and at any time during the day, just to make sure that I'm a satisfied customer. Buildrr is always looking out to see how we can make our goals achievable within our budget.

Are there any areas Buildrr could improve?

I have nothing negative to say.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Buildrr?

Clients should make sure that everything is lined-up in the beginning, in terms of expectations. This should be done in writing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We manufacture computers across the whole spectrum of computing, from tablets to servers. We’re number one worldwide right now. We have a number of locations across the world, but one of our largest operations is in Morrisville, N.C., which is where I’m based.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m in the North American channel marketing, which means I market to our resellers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Buildrr?

I manage, with some of my colleagues, an area called the LPN, the Lenovo Partner Network. This is a Web property that promotes only to our resellers, and we have the North American part of that. Our old platform was cumbersome and hard to update. There were a lot of things we needed to do that we were not able to do on that old platform.

We wanted to build and manage our own pages, but we wanted to have the flexibility to change the core structure, deal with the CSS and JavaScript, and so forth. Many of the platforms that we looked at would allow us to manage content, but we would still have been very limited as to what we could and could not do.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They provided a complete redesign for us, based on Bootstrap, which was one of the things we wanted. They significantly cleaned up and streamlined our CSS, which runs very quickly now. The search functionality is working correctly, which never worked on our old site. There’s just a bunch of small features that add up to a significant change.

What was your process for selecting Buildrr with which to work?

I started looking for alternate platforms and talked to a number of other companies. I did a Web search for design companies. We finally narrowed our choices down to five finalists; Buildrr was one of them. What I really liked about them is that they were an award-winning company, they looked very capable, their reference sites functioned well, and they looked like they would be a good company to work with. After speaking with Buildrr, we were pretty comfortable with what they could do for us. We signed them, and they took us from basically nothing to completion in about a month.

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

We spent about $10,000 on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

We went from a very static to a much more responsive site. Our time for loading pages is half of what it was before, and that’s huge. It’s also openly architected enough for us to work with our other third-party vendors and get tags placed on the site, so we have much better metrics than we used to. We are also able to serve and track dynamic ads properly. When you put it all together, we now have full control of the site and can do what needs to be done to reach our audience.

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

They are very responsive. We have a direct line to our developer. Whenever anything comes up, he will get it fixed or let us know what’s going on immediately. We’re very low maintenance for Buildrr, but when we do need something, they’re super quick to respond.

What advice would you give to a future client of theirs?

Like any other project, to go in with a plan and know exactly what it is you’re trying to do, exactly what you hope to get out of it.

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?

We didn’t have any problems with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are an agricultural equipment manufacturer. We make compact tractors ranging from 22 horsepower all the way up to 150 horsepower.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m our computer systems analyst.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Buildrr?

We needed Buildrr to do a quick website for us. They are known for their SEO [search engine optimization], and that was the main thing that we were looking for. We needed to get our name out, to show up in more Google searches, and to bring more traffic to our website. Our project needed to be done as quickly as possible, so it wasn’t as extensive as we might have liked, but we got everything done quickly.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They did SEO and website development. They also did some small design tweaks, but most of the design was done in-house.

What was your process for selecting Buildrr with which to work?

I did some research on SEO and found three or four companies. I spoke with them all and had the best connection with Buildrr. Their company was also less expensive than the other companies were.

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

We’ve spent $12,000 working with Buildrr.

How long have you been working with Buildrr?

We began working with Buildrr in 2014 and continue to work with them to this day.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

They did a great job getting our name out there.  We have a lot more dealers wanting to sign up with us, as well as increased customer interest. We also included French on our website, so we’re getting more French responses. Our Canadian audience has improved as well. Since we sell to Canada, which has been an unexpected bonus.

The traffic to our website has increased 400 percent, and that’s based on return from Google alone. Yahoo has increased by about the same amount. Today alone, we’ve had 170 page views, whereas a typical day in the past we would have had around 50.

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

Their SEO is outstanding, and their responsiveness is great as well.

What would you tell someone interested in working with Buildrr?

Buildrr is fun and easy to work with. [They are] energetic and flexible.

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?

Not that I can think of. I’m pretty satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I have two farm-style long-term boarding camps for dogs: One in Pennsylvania serving New York City and one in Virginia serving the Washington, D.C., area.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Buildrr?

I needed to improve and update my website so that I could provide a better customer experience and could continue to automate as many aspects of my business as possible.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Buildrr had not originally developed my website, but they figured it out very quickly and easily. Through the years, they have provided excellent service in both improving and keeping the software up to date.

What was your process for selecting Buildrr with which to work?

 I found them through a referral service, although I did put out an RFP [request for proposal] and had a few companies respond. I started working with Buildrr on a small part of my website, which they quickly figured out and did a great job. I just kept adding on various refinements, and through the years they’ve become experts on my application.

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

I spend between $5,000 and $10,000 a year on Buildrr. During some years, I do a few major tweaks, so then it’s a little more.

When did you start working with Buildrr?

I started working with Buildrr around 2008, and I have continued to work with them since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

My website was skillfully updated and improved. They just seem to understand how my business works intuitively. They have not only responded to what I have asked them to do but have also made recommendations on how the application could be better optimized, which has been very helpful.  

The number one thing that I’ve always tried to do has been to automate my business, so that I don’t have to hire people like accountants and bookkeepers. Buildrr has helped me automate many of those areas, and that has saved me a lot of money in labor costs. It’s really difficult to put a price tag on that.

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

Their intuitive understanding of what I need is irreplaceable. The fact that they’ve dedicated themselves to learning my application and can optimize it pretty quickly. That’s hard to find. Buildrr has done such a good job that the life of my current application has been extended significantly.

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 can’t think of anything significant they could have done differently.