Chariot Creative

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Restore America's Estuaries is an alliance of 10 coastal restoration organizations working together to further science-first, natural solutions to coastal issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chariot Creative, and what were your goals?

Our website was outdated, slow and did not represent the current accomplishments of our brand. Chariot had previously done some work with us on a separate project and we knew they were professional and forward-thinking when it came to how our users would interact with our online interface.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We hosted a closed bid process. Chariot offered a comprehensive and professional proposal that solved all our problems.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

After the initial proposal, we held a scoping meeting to walk through each of the deliverables - particularly improved responsiveness, user experience, design, SEO, and navigation.

Chariot listened to each of our requests and had realistic solutions prepared for every one of our problems. They were hands-on throughout the entire process and always available to answer questions or provide updates.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

three - ceo, project manager, lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Chariot completed a 100% website redesign down to the bones in just under 3.5 months. They migrated our massive website onto a new platform that they built from the ground up but maintained easy backend management of the site.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

chariot uses their own project management software but all products were shared and edited on google drive. As mentioned above, they were always available to answer questions and explore solutions based on our needs. Everything was delivered on time and beyond expectations.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Chariot had a way of making us feel like we were their only client even though they're working on many things at once. They also have experts on all your marketing needs from SEO to development, to graphic and event management.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a mobile veterinarian service with an end-of-care life specialist, 3 veterinarians, and 2 staff member. I am the practice manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chariot Creative?

The challenge was to create a branding image for our service and also develop a website that blew away our competition, which had a nice emotional impact and was very informative for our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our website and branding, including our logo. They handled all of our collateral including brochures and graphic design work.

How did you come to work with Chariot Creative?

We interviewed other designers in the area and did independent research on their portfolio of prior work.

How much have you invested with Chariot Creative?

Under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with them 4 years ago when we first established the service. We’ve just recently been working with them on a complete refresh of the website, which went live last week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of our business comes from our website. The rest of it is from referrals. We’ve seen a marked increase in our business over the last year. We have almost tripled our revenue, and a lot of that is contributed to #1 searches on the first page for every search term that we would want for our market.  

How did Chariot Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They are attuned to understanding what our business needs are and our market. They have been extremely accessible to us and have been marketing partners in discussing the plan for online strategy and branding. We just couldn’t be any more pleased with their results and responsiveness.

What did you most impressive about Chariot Creative?

I contribute our entire online presence and success to Chariot. We are extremely satisfied with their work. They have done an amazing job for us.

Are there any areas Chariot Creative could improve?

Not at this time.

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

Be open-minded to their suggestions. Understand that they are doing everything they can to stay on a leading edge of a very fast moving online environment of website design and search engine optimization. Just listen to their advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a nonprofit group working in the healthcare space, with offices in Denver and Raleigh, North Carolina. I am the director of nationwide communications and outreach.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chariot Creative?

Chariot Creative has helped us with a few different projects, primarily around our 2014 and 2015 annual reports. As a nonprofit, we need the ability to communicate our yearly progress in terms of national services in a concise and visually appealing way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chariot Creative designed our annual reports as well as other smaller print pieces.

How did you come to work with Chariot Creative?

I had worked with Chariot Creative's principal [Jason Cooke, president and creative director] for another organization some years ago, and was always impressed by his technical abilities, work ethic, and personality. Since then, whenever I needed help with graphic design, he's been my go-to guy.

How much have you invested with Chariot Creative?

I cannot provide an exact figure. We're a relatively small nonprofit, and can't apply large budgets to projects like this, but Chariot Creative's team has been flexible with us in this regard.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Chariot Creative 2 years ago [in 2014]. I expect that we will work with Chariot Creative again, but we're not currently in a situation of needing this service on a daily or ongoing basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am completely satisfied with Chariot Creative's work. It has been a definite step up in terms of quality, compared to our reports from previous years, which didn't have the snap and visual energy of Chariot Creative's work. There was also no visual consistency from one year to the next. The two reports put together by Chariot Creative's team, although unique in their own ways, have a visual brand that carries across. The feedback from our board of directors and customers has been extremely favorable.

What did you find most impressive about Chariot Creative?

I found Chariot Creative to be extremely responsive, flexible, and open to suggestions. Whenever I identified elements that needed tweaking, Chariot Creative was open to my indications.

Are there any areas Chariot Creative could improve?

I have had no problems at all.

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

I would recommend Chariot Creative's services and fully intend to use them again myself. The only advice I can give is for clients to go ahead and give Chariot Creative a call. They will be satisfied.