GCD

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head Of IE Programme Delivery of Mediahuis UK Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mediahuis is a Belgian based News media publishing company with news titles across Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Ireland and Northern Ireland)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Deliver bespoke native news apps for two of our main news titles on the Island of Ireland - the Irish Independent and the Belgast Telegraph
• Build and support websites for our key marketplace product nijobfinder.co.uk

SOLUTION

How did you find GCD?

Referral

Why did you select GCD over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from GCD were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Support and develop 2 news apps with content taken from our website.

Structure and curate the news for consumer consumption

Support the building of a paywall for a subsubscription growth model

Help develop features and enhancements that would further grow subscriptions

Help develop features that would further improve journalistic content delivery

Ensure the latest technology was available for consideration and implementation

Work throughout as a strategic partner bringing new ideas and concepts to the business for consiideration

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Support and develop 2 news apps with content taken from our website - delivered and ongoing

Structure and curate the news for consumer consumption - constantly evolving, we have good reader feedback on the UX

Support the building of a paywall for a subsubscription growth model - successful launch in Feb 2020

Help develop features and enhancements that would further grow subscriptions - constantly evolving, we have good reader feedback on the UX

Help develop features that would further improve journalistic content delivery - constantly evolving, we have good reader feedback on the UX

Ensure the latest technology was available for consideration and implementation - this has always been a factor, we have seen a number oof key tech developments implemented

Work throughout as a strategic partner bringing new ideas and concepts to the business for consideration - Regular meetings ensure any new ideas have been tabled and considered

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

Solid PM performance across the years, we also had the benefit of stability with only 1 PM change in 10 years. It can be challenging to deliver complex developments in a timely fashion  however this was achieved the majority of the time.

What was your primary form of communication with GCD?

In-Person Meeting

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

GCD is flexible and responsive, a question was always answered quickly and with the right level of detail; concepts were realised quickly and - where agreed - implemented soon after.

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

There is always room for improvement, however our experience was GCD got the big things right, the smaller issues were just treated as challenges to resolve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Trade Marketing Executive of a logistics company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company comprises a number of business verticals providing a range of services, all built on the platform of a comprehensive transport, warehousing and logistics infrastructure, serving a wide range of needs across multiple channels. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Website development
• Website maintenance

SOLUTION

How did you find GCD?

Referral

Why did you select GCD over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

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

GCD was engaged to design, develop, and optimize our website, ensuring it effectively showcases our extensive business verticals in transport, warehousing, and logistics solutions. The project included custom website development and ongoing maintenance to enhance functionality, user experience, and visibility of the our brand.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The collaboration with GCD resulted in a well-designed, user-friendly website that effectively showcases our services. The site is fully responsive, ensuring seamless access across all devices, and features a clean, intuitive layout for easy navigation. These improvements reflect GCD’s expertise in delivering a high-quality informational website that enhances our digital presence.

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

Their team was highly responsive to our needs, quickly addressing any queries or adjustments required. They provided valuable insights and proactive solutions, making the entire process smooth and efficient. Their structured approach and professionalism ensured a seamless collaboration, resulting in a well-executed final product.

What was your primary form of communication with GCD?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The finished website is professional, user-friendly, and effectively showcases our services with a clean and intuitive design. They didn’t just deliver a great product—they’ve continued to provide exceptional post-launch support.

Conor from GCD holds bi-monthly calls with us to ensure everything is running smoothly, addressing any issues or updates needed. Their ongoing engagement reflects their dedication to client satisfaction and sets them apart as a reliable and proactive partner.

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

Not to my knowledge. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Business Development Officer of NIACRO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

NIACRO works to reduce crime and its impact on people and communities across Northern Ireland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Demonstrating our impact
• Enable teams to manage their caseloads
• Facilitate easier recording and reporting

SOLUTION

How did you find GCD?

Tender process

Why did you select GCD over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from GCD were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our bespoke database is used by all projects, with modifications to reflect each service’s input and reporting needs.  Each person is referred onto a project, on which we record contacts, interventions, signposts, outcomes, closure details and bespoke custom fields on each case.  We generate reports using reporting templates to show performance against targets; emerging trends; and outcomes data.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A database that works for both project staff and managers.  We have a monthly quota of time to make improvements as it has been in place since 2018 and there are some elements that could be improved now.

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

Conor Owens checks in really regularly and makes sure that the GCD team are prioritising what we need done and makes sure it is done for when we need it.

What was your primary form of communication with GCD?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team and Conor are good at communicating and figuring out a solution that works best for both us and them.

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

Our database was created such a long time ago in technology terms, I would love to update the UI, but we're on the right track!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Andrew Gunning, Head of Retail Sales. Global Home Warranties arrange specialist structural warranty insurance and construction bonds for the UK construction market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a bespoke, real time solution to provide 24/7 access to our survey reports for our clients. We also needed a system that delivered efficiencies for our Survey Teams and the admin functions within the business while offering management streamlined reporting on our data

SOLUTION

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

After an initial consultation with GCD, we felt confident that they understood the complexities of our requirements. We needed a supplier who challenged what we thought we needed, asked questions and presented us with workable, efficient solutions that would benefit our business and more importantly, our clients.

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

The initial scope of work was to design and build a bespoke surveying systems to be used on and offline with handheld devices for your surveying team. This project needs to include a sales life cycle, administration, and CRM system in order to populate the devices for our surveyors on the road. 

we agreed an initial phased roll out of the new system ensuring all key steps in the journey were boxed off before rolling out. we relied on the system to be stable and produce reports for our Insurers based on a specific inspection criteria. GCD designed an online platform hosted through chrome to give us maximum benefits on all types of devices.

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

We initially met with Andrew Gough the MD who then prepared a team of senior client managers and developers who would be able assist us through the project. Simon Gough became our point of contact throughout the initial 3 years, his natural ability to listen to our needs and question processes in order to find efficiencies within our own working processes and allow us to capitalise on reduced man hours. We now have a senior team headed by John Holmes who looks after our BAU and ongoing additions.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our single biggest measurable outcome has been the efficiencies made in man hours required to process our administration elements, by automating many of the mundane tasks we have been able to cut our admin requirements by 66%.

other efficiencies have also been identified in the surveying team, the whole team can use the system simultaneously and record inspections in real time reducing their reporting administration and giving clients their information in real time. huge advances from triplicate books! 

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

GCD made the whole process as seamless as possible. The team were approachable and available at every stage of the project. Regular updates and reviews kept the entire project on track. Since the initial roll out of our bespoke system, we have dealt with GCD again rolling out further improvements and functionality in order to ensure our clients benefit from the technological advancements that our system has to offer.

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

GCD have a customer centric approach. Our requirements were niche and complex, yet they quickly grasped what we needed and even offered suggestions to improve on what we originally wanted. They're incredibly easy to do business with and are true experts in their field.

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

The whole team at GCD have been helpful from day one, and we have access to people at all levels within their business at any time, if required. We don’t have any resounding areas of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital content creator at Linden Hall Library in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We are a library, archive, and museum. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GCD?

After looking at our offerings, we realized we needed a development partner. So, we hired GCD to replace our outdated website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GCD developed our WordPress website and created a digital platform for us to showcase digital copies of our collection. They used the spec documentation generated using requests from our management and staff. The digital platform was developed in PHP and used an API from our CollectionsIndex+ system. The platform and website are integrated. 

On the website, users can go in and browse a range of media files, PDFs, and audio and visual files. Those are pulled from our archival system and presented on the site’s frontend. Users can sort and filter materials based on categories and date ranges to view the thousands of materials held by our library. 

They’ve continued to follow up on both projects with technical support. I serve as a liaison between our in-house staff and GCD. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with two developers, a client services liaison, and the director, who is responsible for the frontend designs. 

How did you come to work with GCD?

My director put out a tender and chose GCD from a pool of three companies. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $100,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in January 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve already noticed an increase in the number of event and membership registrants coming through the site. The site acts as intended and makes it easier for customers and members to find information. 

We haven’t had any feedback on the digital platform yet, but we also haven’t had any complaints about it. Our internal team is very happy with GCD’s output. 

How did GCD perform from a project management standpoint?

During the initial project, there were some timeline delays, but the overall was delivered on time. Their on-time delivery ensured that everything went live when it was supposed to. 

GCD is very responsive; they’re quick to respond to our emails. We’ve had weekly meetings with them on Wednesdays to check in. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

GCD is approachable and easy to work with. Their team doesn’t overcomplicate projects or speak in technical terms because they know that not all of our team can understand those terms. I’ve been very happy with GCD’s services. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d give anyone working with a development company the same advice: as long as you have a clear understanding and documentation of your project, GCD will be easy to work with. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Call centre manager of Linergy ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We develop renewable fuel from organic waste.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design and develop a fallen stock platform/database
• ongoing development and support

SOLUTION

How did you find GCD?

Referral

Why did you select GCD over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from GCD were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

GCD built a client/customer database and provides ongoing development and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The database works exceptionally and any issues are sorted very quickly

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

All items delivered on time, needs met at all times.

What was your primary form of communication with GCD?

In-Person Meeting

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

Very personable staff, always time for a chat.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of publishing products for Mediahuis Ireland. Mediahiuis is a multinational media organisation, operating in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Ireland and the UK,.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired GCD when we decided to outsource the development of our news apps on iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

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

We had an existing relationship with them, having worked on some smaller web and app projects in the past.

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

All development and testing of iOS and Android apps, including integration with a host of third party services such as identity management, push notifcations, payments, etc.

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

C.10 to 20, from MD to project managers, designers and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a strong and committed user base which has grown consistently while we've been working with GCD. In 2021 we launched a subscription service on our sites and apps. GCD was a key partner and the apps proved a strong driver of subscription revenue.

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

Collaborative. Willing to use any tool we used.

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

True partners. GCD regularly offered us counsel and feedback on what was happening in the wider app ecosystem that we should recognise and which we could benefit from

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

No,.