Cue For Good

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and director of a full-service digital marketing company that implements projects as a contractor, both internally and as a sub-contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

After the 2008 financial crisis, I shifted my focus from the banking and mortgage industry, which we had a stronghold in, to the automotive industry. At the same time, we also needed to switch away from a previous partner due to some difficulties and a negative relationship. Therefore, I needed a new digital marketing partner that would be trustworthy and helpful in this new industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built interactive websites from the ground up, and several times they incorporated Magento capabilities depending on the client's needs. They also do SEO and most of the Google AdWords implementation. It was a total collaborative effort between us and them which was necessary because the automotive industry changes rapidly with seasonal deals and whatnot.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with probably around ten people on their team.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

I originally found CueBlocks on a referral from some guys working at a large IT company. I heard that they had very positive experiences with this young company. I was able to meet up with them and the relationship just clicked because I could tell they would be a trustworthy and collaborative partner.

How much have you invested with them?

On average over the last eight or nine years, we've invested just under $1,000,000 each year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship began in December 2008 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their performance is excellent. We've built several companies over the years and our clients have been extremely happy. To give one example, we took a small car dealership in Southern California from 250 cars serviced monthly to over 2,000. Whatever they do is pretty much right on and very few corrections have to be made by my people.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been excellent. They communicate everything very precisely and we're able to pass that on to our clients. They are very amenable to working and collaborating efficiently. We mostly use email and Skype for communication, and occasionally I call them on their cell phones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are honest and they're always willing to give updates on accounting. I've never caught them doing things incorrectly at any time. Most of the time when I thought there was something wrong, I was the one that made the mistake, which is not the norm when dealing overseas. I find them to be extremely professional and honest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early on there were problems with communication between some of the people that worked for them, but those have been worked out positively at this point. We don't have any real problems whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're not going to take advantage of you, so you can share your goals and targets with them freely. They're very straightforward and easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and CEO of a supplement and lifestyle company that sells Chinese herbs to Western consumers. We are an e-commerce company right now, and our website is our only point of sale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We needed some minor development work and some SEO services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial engagement was to have them do some maintenance, which basically included shifting things around on the site, as well as SEO which included both analytics and optimization.

They have since moved to larger maintenance work in support of a Shopify-based e-commerce strategy they proposed, which involves building out new pages and installing apps.

What is the team dynamic?

At the peak, they had five people working with us.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

It was initially a referral. Their CEO and founder was very passionate about our company and our product, and there was pretty strong chemistry from that perspective. He was very complimentary of the brand and demonstrated an incredible enthusiasm and motivation to help us achieve our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in April 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been stronger when we give them ample guidance and instruction, as opposed to when we turn the ball over to them. I think some of that stems from the fact that our product is essentially a new product category, which has made their efforts to provide proactive guidance somewhat less effective. As a result, we've had to be more involved than we originally expected. That said, they're a great group to work with for precision, speed, and affordability.

Cue Blocks has made some excellent recommendations for design usability and improvements. They were also very involved with the strategy and execution regarding a new sales channel initiative that is demonstrating nice returns for our company.  At this juncture, they are very much a trusted partner for our business.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been very good. We primarily use Basecamp but do use phone and email communication as well when we need to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a tremendous value for what they provide, and they're typically pretty fast. That's why we continue to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a bit of a learning curve for both our groups as we figured out how they could provide the best value to us, but since we've gotten to know each other they've become an invaluable partner for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as crystal clear as possible in defining your tasks, projects, and outcomes. The more specific you can be, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that sells pet doors. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We needed web development help, specifically from someone with Magento skills that could help us improve and maintain our website. We started working with a marketing agency on a big retainer but it didn’t match what we needed, which was something more nimble.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out with smaller projects and built from there. It wasn’t long before we liked what we saw and we made them our full-time developer. One of the first projects was a site audit to see if they could identify anything that was problematic. They identified many issues so they fixed those. We had a lot of visual challenges and broken links. That was a big project at the beginning. Eventually, they redesigned pages and added modules and custom extensions. They redesigned our home page but not the logo, as well as some other landing pages.

What is the team dynamic? 

Over the years, I’ve probably worked with 20 different people. I went to visit their office, so I’ve met the whole team.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

We were trying to find someone to migrate our outsource development efforts to. They were great because they were fine with working on a project-by-project basis. They understood that there was some trust that needed developing and they didn’t want to give us a quote for a large project and just dive in. They actually wanted a smaller project first so they could show us what they can do and then we could build incrementally. That was perfect for me because it took out the risk.

I knew that there were different Magento certifications: gold, silver, and bronze. I was looking for a bronze or silver level partner because I was afraid the gold ones would be too expensive. I found a list of firms and tried to evaluate the SEO ranking ability of their own websites. If I want a website that ranks well and I’m supposed to trust a developer, their own website should rank well. That was a good filter, it weeded out 70% of the list who claimed they’re SEO experts, but their website was terrible in SEO. CueBlocks was one of the best ones we tried.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spend an average of $50,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2014 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were heavily involved in the process. It was pretty seamless and a collaborative effort. When they thought they were done, everything went to a staging environment where we could check it out, so there were no surprises. They’re pretty good and super easy to work with.

I don’t have any feedback from customers, but we have 20,000 customers a year, so they like the site enough to buy our products.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

A lot of what they’ve done has influenced how we manage projects internally because it works smoothly. They use Basecamp and have a ticketing system. There’s a project lead that assigns the tickets to the developers. We can see everything that happened on that ticket.

We might have a problem with something in our footer that is causing errors. They fix it and push it live because it’s important. Alternatively, we can approve it first before it is pushed to live. I can go back and find any past tickets because everything is saved. We are currently on ticket 784 and do a couple of tickets a week. Their project management is transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their billing system is really nice. With other developers, it’s a mystery what you’re paying for. You get a block of development hours and if you run out, they say they need more. But it’s unclear where the first block went.

With CueBlocks, we work project to project and all hourly. We make a ticket and they let us know how long the work will take. We approve it, they work on it, and at the end of the month, they send an invoice that has a list of all the tickets they worked on and for how many hours. It’s crystal clear what you’re paying for, what you’re getting, and how much time it took. We can go back and see if that number was pre-approved or not. We have full control and full transparency. For an overseas developer, that’s the best-case scenario. It removes all the risk and makes it a lot more reassuring. I have a lot of trust in them. Ten years from now, I fully intend to still be a client of theirs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the team that we work with make tickets on their own when they see something broken, which I can see in Basecamp. But for the most part, they do what I ask them to.

When they’re proactive, their recommendations are quite good. If I had to encourage them to be better, I would tell them to be more proactive in identifying things that we should do differently to improve our site.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve referred them to friends and tell them to follow the path that I followed. Start with small projects and build incrementally. It’s rare that the customer has the flexibility to do that and it makes it easier to build trust.

One thing I learned is when you’re working with someone in an opposite time zone and the standard way of communicating is over email, if you make a ticket and it’s unclear or they ask for some follow-up, we lose 2 days. I’ve learned to make tickets that are stand-alone and complete. If you use if/then instructions, then you can save a few days.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of Dr. B Dental Solutions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Dr. B Dental Solutions is an ecommerce brand selling innovative denture care products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CueBlocks to accomplish?

• Google Ads
• SEO

SOLUTION

How did you find CueBlocks?

Referral

Why did you select CueBlocks over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from CueBlocks were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Google Ads
• Google Shopping
• On-site SEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Significant increase in conversions
• significant decrease on cost per conversion
• increased ROAS.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They're always very friendly, and they accommodate requests right away.

What was your primary form of communication with CueBlocks?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Cueblocks was able to take on our project and do all the work themselves without us having to give much direction or instruction. Within a short period, they were able to deliver really great results.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

myfruits is an e-commerce company for freeze-dried fruits, fruit powder and muesli.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We work with cueblocks in the following areas: - Search Engine Optimization - Facebook/ Instagram Ads - Shopify Development - 3D Rendering of product images - Amazon Advertisements - Web Design

SOLUTION

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

Communication with Cueblocks was excellent from the start. In my opinion, the price-performance ratio was also fair.

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

At the beginning we started with Google SEO. After seeing good results, we moved on to Facebook and Instagram Ads.

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

We work with specialists from all different areas. The managing director Pancham works with us on the shop development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since October 2021 the total sales increased by 129%, the total number of orders increased by 124%, and the total online store sessions increased by 209%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Good communication via Basecamp.

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

The team has experts in many areas. This means that we can hand over many tasks to just one marketing agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of e-commerce operations in our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We were an established brand in the market before we decided to take it online. We wanted our rebranding to be strong, very classy, and sophisticated. Since we didn't have an online presence, we reached out to CueBlocks to build our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve given them a short brief on what we wanted our brand to look like based on our journey of 25 years. After that, they’ve provided us with options before proceeding to rebrand and build our website from scratch. The team has also helped us with content creation. We’ve been able to launch our website two weeks ago, but we continue to reach out to them if we need to clarify anything related to the website.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been able to interact personally with all of their staff because I was stationed at their office for over a month to understand how e-commerce works.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

We wanted to work with a company that could produce good aesthetics and uses good and attractive colors. When we saw CueBlocks’ work online, we decided to give them a call. In the end, they offered to help us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $11,000 on the project.

What is the status of the engagement?

We began our partnership in October 2020, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gotten positive feedback about our brand. In terms of metrics, it's too soon to say anything, but we haven't gotten any recommendations on improving things on our side. Overall, we’re happy with CueBlocks' work.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management perspective, they’ve been great. They’re responsive and are flexible when it comes to changing requirements to fulfill what we want. If I have to rate their flexibility, I’ll give them a perfect score. We use Basecamp as a project management tool, and every activity of the project has been monitored there. Most of our communication is through WhatsApp and Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very accommodating and welcoming; I’ve personally been to their office for around 35 days. Above all, I’m completely impressed with their style and body of work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is nothing serious that I’d take into consideration as an area of improvement.

Any advice for potential customers?

Let Cueblocks know beforehand the essential details of your project and paint a clear picture for them to follow. Leave everything in their hands and trust them to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Hade Co-Founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were assisted for building our ecommerce website

SOLUTION

How did you select CueBlocks and what were the deciding factors?

Briefe explanation on the requirements and process Realistic approach towards to the project Timely assistance Customer service

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

After our initial calls they explained they explained the scope of work, the process involved and realistic time period requires to finish the project and the budget for the same.

We were impressed by the way our requirements were handled by the founders and the developing team which made us say yes to them.

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

5-7 Ravi- Project manager Subham- Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were highly satisfied with them. We delayed the project from our end due to some unforseen circumstances however Cueblocks team was hughly co operative and assisted us at all times though we delayed.

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

All the works were communicated and updated through an app called Basecamp. All the works were completed on time as we required. We were assisted even when we missed the timelines many times.

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

Service asssitance. Following timelines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No