GLIDE®

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Communications for a pet adoption service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE?

Our website design had not been updated in several years. We had great information to share, but it was getting lost in poor design. We hired Glide to revamp the site design and make it more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

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

I met with and considered many web design companies for this project, but we were excited to work with a local company whose mission reflected our values. After reviewing Glide's past work and learning more about the project process, we made the decision to work with them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We started with a series of discovery meetings to talk through the project and identify the key goals. Then the design team got to work and presented us with some options. After deciding on that, we got into content development and lots of reviewing. We worked closely with our project manager and Glide's technical development team to work out any bugs and get everything *just right*. After we launched, we continued to work with the support team when issues arose.

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

I initially met with the head of the company to learn more about what they had to offer. We were assigned a wonderful project manager (Paola) who was with us at every step of the way. We also worked with a design team (Drew) and a content development expert (Jessica) who were excellent. After the site development began, we worked closely with the dev team, which was headed by Sam, who was wonderful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The visual of the before and after of our website is shocking - it looks so good! It's so much easier to navigate, and I absolutely love how the design turned out.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked very well with the Glide team, and I think that is due in large part to our project manager, Paola. She was extremely responsive and helpful throughout the entire process.

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

I think their ability to make our dream website a reality was so impressive! I just felt like they totally got what we were going for, and made it happen. Redesigning a website is a huge undertaking, but the Glide team helped to make the process as painless as possible.

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

I think the only thing they could do to improve would be to keep the dedicated support team with us a little longer after the launch before switching us over to general support. The president of the company and I discussed this as we wrapped the project, and it sounds like this is something they will consider doing in the future. But that is truly the only area where I think there is room for improvement - we had a wonderful experience with Glide.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a SaaS subscription company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE?

We hired GLIDE for a new website, our old one being outdated.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for a vendor that we could trust to do good work. Our previous vendor came up a bit short in this regard though they charged a similar price.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

GLIDE followed a thorough, paced process. According to my software project managed, who was the main point of contact on our side, "They knew how to specify what we were looking for and turn that into a fluent design."

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

I think we worked with four to six people. The key points of contact, who were great to work with, were Drew Lyon (the design lead) and Madeline Seitz, the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site was built to spec and launched successfully (with the expected parts to clean up.) We did not have any specific targets around SEO ranking or the like, though we certainly hope it will help. One of our contacts emailed me to compliment us after we made our soft launch.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

GLIDE made good use of the software infrastructure they set up (ticket submissions, etc.) This kind of thing is critical so things don't slip between the cracks. The initial calls elicited good feedback around conceptual goals. Per my software project manager: "Communication on the project was great, it was easy to set up any sort of sync meeting or get in touch with them to see where we currently were."

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

GLIDE stands out for its passion and enthusiasm. It follows through with reliable adherence to best practices.

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

I wish it were a little less expensive to develop websites but the market sets the rates. As mentioned above, a few years ago we paid about the same for a site that wasn't as good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I manage Digital Media for Austin FC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We chose GLIDE to build Q2Stadium.com, a digital home for America's best new soccer venue in America's brightest city.

SOLUTION

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

We almost went with a safe, industry option, but GLIDE's enthusiasm for our project and the effort they made to earn the contract far exceeded other partners were were considering. They saw that enthusiasm and effort through to the finish line.

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

We had a kick-off meeting and we even had some members of the GLIDE team out to Q2Stadium.com in Austin, TX. They helped us organize our goals and ideas into an organized sitemap. In the design process, they were students of our brand and were patient and accommodating with our feedback. In the development process, they worked with our moving timelines and sporadic delivery of content to keep us on track and deliver a polished final project.

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

We worked most closely with Travis, Owner & Founder. Drew, their Creative Director and Jessica, Project Manager and Content Strategist. Many other members of the GLIDE team were instrumental in bringing this to life, and I'm equally glad to have had their help.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our goal was to deliver a state-of-the-art digital home for the state-of-the-art stadium. We boast an unrivaled gameday experience for our fans and we wanted to highlight every bit of that on Q2Stadium.com. They helped take this to the next level for us, with features and functionalities like interactive maps that provide an immediate experience improvement for the 500,000+ fans that will make their way through the Q2Stadium.com gates each year.

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

I had the pleasure of working with Jessica, who is absolutely one of the best Project Managers I've ever worked with. Period. She kept GLIDE (and us!) moving along at the perfect pace.

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

The most impressive thing about them was their enthusiasm for our project. It meant something to them, and that was evident every step of that way.

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

I wish we had another stadium that they could build a website for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of marketing for a small SaaS technology company specializing in AR solutions for brand & retail eCommerce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had evolved over a few years from an agency-type company to a fully managed platform and we needed to reflect that. We needed a better user flow and full design updates to site. We needed to increase site traffic and were re-branding at the same time.

SOLUTION

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

We did a lot of research on similar companies and felt the team at Glide was the best representation of a company most like us. They "got" us right from the beginning. They weren't the cheapest but from the start, we felt like they really listened to what we wanted, what our concerns were - and us being a company that does a lot of design, that was tough.

The first meeting was a conversation instead of a presentation. Then, when we had the larger team meeting, we walked through the process and expectations of our team, and the Glide team still sans presentation. Our entire team loved that because it was the first time we didn't feel talked to but talked with. No one was trying to come in and fix us but rather come in and work together to make the improvements we wanted.

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

We had a kick-off meeting with our full teams to discuss wishlists and goals and then the Glide team put together a framework for accomplishing said goals. Ultimately we had a 3-phrase approach that included using several technologies and platforms for communication, organization, and brainstorming. The design phase was the most collaborative, challenging, and longest phase. We had a talented in-house design team who were very hands-on during this part of the project.

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

We kicked off with the owner, met 3 to 4 additional members of the team but mainly worked with the project manager who was a beast at keeping us on track, and the creative director who oversaw the first phase of the program, which was the design phase. It was the most in-depth phase because it dictated everything else. From there, we moved into development and content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been live with our new site for 4.5 months so we are just starting to look at data but our domain authority stayed strong through and after the process, our site speed has improved, and overall, our traffic is up by 20%.

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

We had weekly check-in meetings with the PM and the creative director and they also set up a Slack channel for daily communications. We had shared software that we could log into that showed the progress of where we were in the project, new design options and also worked together in Google docs and sheets.

Once we got toward the middle and end of the project, we had 2x weekly check-ins with the PM. When we got to the home stretch, the PM and I (I was the POC on our end) had nearly daily emails and Slack messages. They were also great about making themselves available for quick 15 min impromptu chats when we knew that email or Slack wasn't answering the questions.

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

They felt like an extension of our team for several months. No BS. They were realistic about the time table and where stalls would happen, etc. We worked together on much of the design and imagery so I would say that there were some overlaps. Depending on whether you want to be fully hands off or involved in the project changes the flow.

GLIDE was a very versatile team that can do it all and work well with their clients. It becomes apparent when you are your own roadblock when you're a hands-on customer. But the team at Glide was very patient and we didn't incur added costs for slowing down our own timeline.

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

When we first launched, we had issues with the form connectivity from our site to our CMS & MA systems. We still collected the information but it was within the web system vs. our MA system. They were able to fix the issues but it did take all of us working together. Glide had set up a full-proof form so we didn't loose the data but it would have been bad had they not been proactive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager for an all-in-one skincare provider. We do medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, plastic surgery, etc. We also have a med spa and sell skincare products online. I handle everything website-facing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GLIDE?

When I came on board a few years ago, we had an old, outdated website. We decided to trash it and build a new WordPress site from scratch. GLIDE was brought on to develop and design the new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a design phase, developing a detailed set of wireframes. These designs identified specific aspects down to the fonts we were going to use. There were 4–5 rounds of back and forth, and we finally settled on a site with a series of different silos or, as we call them, service pages: medical dermatology, plastic surgery, blogs. On these pages, users can find information about services and book them. Another important feature is the custom “before and after” photo gallery. These images, approved by patients, show the results of the work we do for them.

They offered other services, but we’re only using them for maintenance right now. We assign them monthly tweaks through their ticketing system and they implement them. One notable maintenance task is switching the provider we use for our scheduling API. They’ve done this multiple times as we’ve found new options.

What is the team composition?

I speak with Andy (Creative Director, daily — he’s our main contact. Travis (Founder & CEO) has been very hands-on as well.  

How did you come to work with GLIDE?

We did a lot of online research for web developers and designers based locally here in Austin. GLIDE was local at the time, though I think they’ve moved a bit outside of Austin at this point.  Their combination of proximity to us and their past work in the health field made us feel very comfortable with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested high six-figures with them at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project together in December 2017, and the website launched in March 2018. Our ongoing maintenance relationship will reach the four-year mark in a few months in March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t like to share too much about our internal analytics, but organic traffic has improved ten times over, and conversion rates for bookings have grown more than 25%. We’re 100% satisfied. If that number was even down to 90% we would look for other options.

GLIDE has exceeded expectations, especially on the design side. Our team thought it would take much more back and forth to establish what we wanted, but it only took 4–5 exchanges. Their first proposal checked off a lot of our boxes. We only commented on small facets, like fonts and such.

How did GLIDE perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very easy to use their ticketing system; they’re very responsive. I’ll put a ticket in, and if it’s super-critical, then I’ll call them. Large and small changes are handled well. GLIDE will respond with a time estimate for small changes, and we’ll book a call for more complex updates. GLIDE has never not returned a call in the same day. Zoom video calls have also helped us. Other than that, we speak over emails and texts.

Budget-wise, we exceeded our number for the website but that was because we kept adding tasks onto the initial brief.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and responsiveness stand out. We’ve had times where our hosting has made an automated update to our website which causes issues when it propagates. Andy and GLIDE jump right on these issues and fix them quickly. That’s why we’ve stayed with them through the years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve completed everything we’ve expected of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s best to go in with as detailed a plan of what you want and expect as possible. We didn’t know the exact design we wanted, but we knew structurally that the site had to have certain features and sections. I definitely recommend going through the full wireframe of the site, right down to the coding.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Accounts, Strategic Branding and PR Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

A nonprofit cancer research foundation needed a streamlined, modern website designed with its audiences in mind, to help further brand awareness in the cancer research space and drive donations. We partnered with GLIDE for web development.

SOLUTION

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

After interviewing GLIDE and speaking with several team members, we were confident they had the knowledge, skills, and expertise to help develop and streamline this very large site.

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

We stayed in constant communication with GLIDE. From the kick-off meeting, through all the steps of development, through the thorough and detailed Quality Assurance phase, to launch, they were always in communication with us. We used Gutenberg for Wordpress, DoneDone for QA, and Google Drive to manage al the content pieces.

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

We had two project managers as our main points of contact. During the QA phase, we were also in communication with the developers via the DoneDone platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The clients are very happy with the design and structure, and as time goes on we look forward to seeing how the new site will impact search results, speed, usability, brand awareness, and donations.

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

We used email and Slack for daily questions, DoneDone for the QA phase, and Google Drive for shared documents and additional QA tracking as needed. They were always extremely responsive and thorough in their responses.

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

They were extremely flexible and patient when deadlines shifted for reasons outside of our control. I also appreciated their constant communication about what was happening.

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

I cant think of anything at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Soundwaves Art is a philanthropic foundation that creates unique pieces of art from the sound waves of songs, gets the musicians behind those songs to autograph each piece, and donates all profits of the art sales.

We've donated over $5M to charities by working with 500+ musicians including Outkast, Elton John, Coldplay, Dolly Parton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, A Tribe Called Quest, and Celine Dion. I run all US projects, ranging from artist relations to website management, to marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had an outdated website bursting at the seams with too many products on WooCommerce. We needed a better way for customers to sort through our catalog, a sleeker website, and a more professional backend. We also needed a better way for customers to purchase frames on their orders, which is a huge way we offset our costs.

SOLUTION

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

They seemed to care the most about our work, had a great list of clientele, and gave us a very generous non-profit discount.

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

Working together we decided at their suggestion to transfer our store from WooCommerce/Wordpress to Shopify. We also designed new About Us and Mission pages and reorganized how our products were groups and presented on the website.

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

About 5 including Travis the owner, a PM, a designer, a secondary designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've definitely increased sales on our new website and have also significantly raised the rate at which customers add on framing - a massive help. The product pages better showcase details of our artwork and we've also heard feedback that it's much easier to find contact info for our non-profit.

Our website finally tells our story and lets collectors learn more about our mission and team - a huge benefit.

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

Upfront, had some miscommunications about price and how many hours they were logging/billing, but we worked that out and the rest was fine. They were always very communicative and we had no problems with their technology tools.

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

They give a damn, they have great designers, they were flexible.

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

They definitely undersold or misunderstood how much of a beast transitioning from WooCommerce to Shopify would be. We had to log about 20 manual hours of data entry on our end to port our products over and get everything set up OK.

They also did not come up with a great solution for our framed products. We've adjusted to the new solution, but what we had originally spec-ed out was not eventually built.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead business development for an omni-channel product and service provider in the sporting goods industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Launch a new marketing website for niche cloud based document storage service within the sporting good industry.

SOLUTION

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

Our company owner had worked with Travis, founder of Glide, in the past. He was very happy with the relationship and partnership from their previous interactions. We selected Glide based on that relationship and on the solution provided for this project.

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

Glide built a from scratch website for a new technology and service in our market space. There were and are no other similar products available in the market for Glide to reference when designing and building our new site.

Every step of the project, from kick off, to design, build and completion, the Glide team listened to our vision and put that vision into action.

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

We worked with many of the Glide team members throughout the project. However, Jessica McDaniel, our Product Manager, was our main point of contact.

She was beyond prompt, accommodating and professional throughout the project. She promised me on the day we kicked off, that if I and my team delivered the content to her on time, she would deliver the website on time. She kept her work and exceeded our expectations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The entire Glide team was a pleasure to work with. From our initial call with Travis, founder of Glide, through our kick-off call, meet the team, weekly status calls until they turned our website over to us, everyone we worked with an expert in their field.

Top notch professionalism, listen as we walked through design and vision, and delivered an amazing website and ON TIME! Special kudos to Jessica McDaniel, our PM throughout the project. She was patient with all of the requests I made, listen to any concerns and as I mentioned, delivered an amazing website.

If you are in need any tech services Glide provides, do yourself a favor, hire them and stop searching. They are the partner you want for whatever your project needs may be.

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

Communication from our PM was consistent and most importantly informative. - Weekly status calls each Tuesday.

Weekly EOW status emails provided every Friday. As needed - prompt email replies and when needed, jumped on a webinar to walk me through whatever concern, etc. that we were discussing.

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

The team, Travis' people are the difference maker for Glide. Professionals who are experts in their field.

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

I usually have constructive feedback, but I have to say they exceeded my expectations at every turn.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager at a pool chemical manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GLIDE?

We needed help redesigning our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned our site and also worked on some integrations.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people from their team.

How did you come to work with GLIDE?

They were referred to us by WP Engine.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020 and wrapped up in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their design work was exceptional. One of the first designs they presented is the one we ended up going with. Their technical ability was extremely sound. They were always problem-solving in ways that were creative and cost-effective. We threw them several curveballs throughout the project, but they always found ways to oblige us and accomplish what we asked, while always keeping the same time.

How did GLIDE perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a dedicated project manager, and they communicated as frequently as we needed. They managed the contact between us and the developers effectively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The design work and leadership were impressive. It’s clear that Travis (CEO ) has been doing this awhile, and they have a very can-do attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their offshore resources proved to be a little less capable than their onshore ones. I would say that team’s communication could have just been better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to set expectations at the beginning of the project and have a conversation with Travis. If Travis understands what you want to accomplish, everyone else will as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an early-stage software startup. We are a tool for sales professionals to track and manage earnings and compensation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GLIDE?

We hired them to design and develop our first marketing site. We wanted a partner that could help with the site build and our inbound marketing automation process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a very abbreviated timeline. We finished everything within nine weeks, when this sort of project usually takes twelve. They were very focused and gave us exactly what we wanted. They showed us a few sites for inspiration so we could choose the elements we liked. Then, they figured out what kind of design flow the site should have and put together some initial ideas in InDesign.

We had several internal iterations with our team and then finalized the design process before moving into development. They created the site on WordPress and use HubSpot as our marketing automation tool and CRM. They helped set up all our request forms and lead generation and capturing forms.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their owner, a project manager, a creative lead, and a lead designer. The designer worked behind the scenes, so we didn’t interface with them much.

How did you come to work with GLIDE?

I worked with them at a former company. We vetted other vendors but I liked my experience with them previously and felt they’d be a good fit. They focus on entrepreneurial startups and they understood all our needs. They also offered a much better price quote than other vendors and were interested in a cooperative partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial contract was for around $23,000. They worked with us to fit within our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around August 2018. We finished in September 2018, after a nine-week development phase. We plan to release more features in the future and will engage them again for those projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched the site late last week. We have good site traffic already, even though we’re still in our early access beta release. We have forms on our website and people can see us there. Several people expressed interest in the first week and our conversion rate is really high. We receive comments on how beautiful the site looks from investors and site visitors.

How did GLIDE perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is so responsive and they’re all very communicative. I could always call or email anyone on the team. They used Basecamp internally. I never had to log into it, but they sent me all their logs. When we switched to the development phase and were checking bugs, we used a tool called DoneDone. It was very easy to use and an efficient way to collaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great designers and their desire to partner with us really stood out. They did everything to ensure we were happy and satisfied. I’ve worked with agencies who were unwilling to change the scope, but I never had any pushback from GLIDE. They were eager to do the best job they could and were really easy to collaborate with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I noticed is probably a fairly standard issue for development projects. We had a really seamless design phase, but experienced a few points of frustration in the development stage. We ultimately got everything resolved, but that was the only difficult part of the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Speak with them before you hire them to make sure the partnership is the right fit. See how they will work with your company and your goals.