HonestAI by GrayCyan

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the treasurer of Utilization Managers Network of Ontario. We’re a nonprofit organization that gets together to discuss and train each other on new things coming into the healthcare field.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

We needed to improve our website because it was built about 20 years ago. Our old site didn’t allow for us to take any payments, so our membership had to mail a check.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the site. We provided a lot of input and documented our requirements. We wanted our members to be able to pay via credit cards. They completely rebuilt our site so we could integrate Stripe and take online payments. We also wanted a more modern visual representation to our site. They also helped with the technical aspects like coding and development. Since then, they’ve provided support and have hosted it for us.

What is the team composition?

I spoke with Nishkam (Founder) has been our project manager throughout the engagement. He   does some of the development, but both his Canadian and Indian-based teams do most of it.

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

I did a search online, and was actually looking for a local partner. Then we narrowed it down to a list of When we launched this, we did an RFP and had four different developers come out and pitch us and tell

us what they could do for us. We then had four developers come pitch us and we chose GrayCyan.com even though they were one of the smaller groups. They actually came out in person, while others just did it through a webinar.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2019–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a number of people tell us how good it looks. Compared to our old site, it’s very modern and sleek. The functionality is there. We had several people sign up for the next event using the site. Nobody has come back to say that they have some issues. We had to make a few adjustments because of things we didn’t anticipate, but GrayCyan.com were able to address them quickly.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Nishkam was very responsive. As I said, we talked nearly every day as we got close to the launch. I never had a problem with responses from them via email either. It was nice having one contact as well. We never had to interface with the developers, which really streamlined communication. He was great.

As a result of having teams in India and Canada, they had people working on the website day in and day out. We spoke to Nishkam sometimes daily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They seemed to care that we had limited resources compared to other clients, but the understood what we needed and came up with a solution that would work within our budget. They were really good at figuring out a reasonable way to get it done without costing us a fortune. They often proposed options that would fit our budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We did have to hire a copywriter to help us with the copy on the site because they didn’t offer those services. It would be nice if they offered that service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should know exactly what they need and will be able to detail it as much as possible. Know the functionality and features you’ll need so they can estimate much it will cost and how long it will take.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder and Owner of MyHairToo.shop

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrayCyan.com, and what were your goals?

Website /E-commerce development

SOLUTION

How did you select GrayCyan.com and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for website developers and shortlisted. After speaking with GrayCyan we decided to proceed with them.

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

The team worked against the project proposal signed by both parties. We made some iterations along the way as the project evolved. We are using Woocommerce for our multi-vendor e-commerce site. Project is still ongoing.

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

CEO and his development team worked with me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project is still ongoing. However, a lot of positive feedback from potential customers and vendors.

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

We had several zoom calls to go over the project requirements and then a proposal was sent detailing the project requirements. Scope changes were discussed and agreed in advance. Timelines were agreed to in advance and adjusted as needed.

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

They have a lot of experience building and working in customizations to e-commerce websites. I highly recommend GrayCyan to any startup or entrepreneur looking for exceptional web development services as well as tangible and intangible support & advice with their e-commerce business.

It is really easy to work with Nishkam, he is patient, supportive, solution-oriented and is determined to deliver a high quality deliverable as well as service throughout the project. It is great pleasure to work with GrayCyan, again highly recommend!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Working with customer to mitigate scope changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of Teeny Totz, an online clothing store that my husband and I developed. We’re a niche market for babies and toddlers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

When we called GrayCyan, we spoke with Nishkam (Founder). We weren’t sure where we were going with our business, and he recommended promoting it as a niche market so that our marketing is targeted. With everything being affected by COVID, we needed to see how we could build the business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GrayCyan designed our website and suggested a couple of things. For instance, Nishkam recommended adding more of a personal touch and considering what I look for, as a mom, when I’m shopping for clothes for my kids. He told me where I should and shouldn’t market, what it would look like to market with Google Ads, and how much I should be spending in order to see some sort of the revenue from that end. 

Right now, he’s finishing up our website. Then, he’s going to help us with Google Ads, provide SEO, and do social media marketing. 

What is the team composition?

I speak with Nishkam, but I’m not sure who is working behind the scenes.  

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

Nishkam was referred to me by my husband’s client.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together started in March 2020, and it’s ongoing. We’re almost ready to launch the site — we’re just making some final tweaks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To date, we’ve been really happy with their service. I’m not technically inclined, but Nishkam has been able to explain in detail why we should or shouldn’t be doing certain things. Even when we were buying our domain name, he advised us on what to buy and what not to buy in terms of .com and .ca, so he’s been really helpful. Nishkam gave us some really good ideas, and we ran with them. 

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Every time we ask him to make a change, they’re done almost immediately. You have to give him some lag time, but within a couple of hours to the next day, they’re done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we talked to another company, we got passed from person to person. It’s more one-on-one with Nishkam because he takes initiative and then delegates to his other team members. I’m not being passed around; I’m dealing with and getting my answers from one person. That helps prevent miscommunication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As of now, we’ve only done the website, and I have no complaints. Everything has been done to my liking, and every time I’ve asked a question, he’s come back with a helpful answer. I don’t see anything negative I’d comment on right now.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d ask the correct questions. Nishkam has actually given me pointers that I wouldn’t have thought to ask about, so he’s brought a lot to the table for me personally. I’d suggest getting another company involved and seeing what they have to offer versus GrayCyan. I found Nishkam to be very hands-on compared to another company I looked at.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Pufftastic Cannabis Co

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrayCyan.com, and what were your goals?

Web design. My goal was to have a simplistic easy to navigate website for people to order online

SOLUTION

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

I researched many web designers and looked at his portfolio and loved that he was local and a small business like me

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

we had an introduction zoom meeting due to covid restrictions.. we discussed the goals and vision of the website. He used a lot of things I've never heard of.. WordPress.. greengeeks.. google console etc

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

project manager.. desginer.. logo maker

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unfortunately I am not operational until the government gives me the green light so I cannot comment on this at the moment

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

They did great work keeping me on time and getting the project done. I had a lot on my plate and am super busy but the team was wonderful in communicating with me

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

He takes his time to explain everything to me at any hour of the day even when I know he is extremely busy. He showed me how to increase my website viewers, he taught me about trademarking my name, he even took a look at my friend’s business website to see it’s web ratings and SEO.

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

nope

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

An event management company that rapidly responds to changing environments, so that we can deliver high impact events for our clients. Our goal is to create unforgettable virtual, in person or hybrid experiences that engage, inspire and motivate participants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrayCyan.com?

Our existing website was outdated and required a new look, so we hired GrayCyan to create a new design, and put it on a platform that would be easy for us to update moving forward.

What were your goals for this project?

Develop a clean easy to navigate website, while showcasing what we do.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We referred to GrayCyan from a colleague, and trusted their referral.

Describe the project in detail.

Review existing website and present us with a more modern design. Once a design was agreed upon, we provided GrayCyan with the content and they proceeded to develop the site.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned one project manager who was our main contact person throughout the entire project. This made it much easier rather than dealing with numerous people - our project manager knew all the details of the project and communicated to his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very pleased with the look and feel of the new website, and are very happy that we can personally make adjustments to the site when updates are required.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our project manager was very easy to deal with and was very accommodating. At times he was extremely busy and couldn't action items, however, he always responded and notified us when he would have the item taken care of.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working on the design of a website can be challenging, and sometimes you don't know if you are going to like what you have agreed on once you see it online. They were very flexible when we requested adjustments to certain pages or layouts.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Perhaps at some critical points when the "function capabilities" or "first overall review are taking place" it would be a good idea to have the developer sit in and listen. This would allow them to have a complete understanding of what the client is looking for, rather than having it relayed through the project manager.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and performer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

I needed to update my old website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GrayCyan.com developed a website from scratch. They also inserted photos, lyrics, news, and my latest song releases. They also provided me with webpages. 

What is the team composition?

Nishkam (Founder) was my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

After searching on the internet and doing my own screening, I zeroed in on GrayCyan.com. Something in their advertising appealed to me. As soon as I spoke to them, I could tell that we would have a good relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $2,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in May 2020, and it’s ongoing. They’ve completed the website, but we may need to make some additions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team did a remarkable job in such a short time. They exceeded my expectations, and I’m very happy with the way my website looks right now. They kept the colors consistent and added great features. 

I’m easily displeased, so this says a lot about the work they did. GrayCyan.com had a great sense of what I wanted and the quality I wanted, and they delivered exactly that.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Right from the get-go, Nishkam has been very responsive and responsible. I’ve never had a problem with them. He is extremely cooperative, and he has a great attitude. 

If there is something wrong with the website, I reach out to GrayCyan.com and they correct it almost immediately. We’ve had a good relationship. We communicate via email, text, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is very cooperative, and their response time is great. They also don’t sacrifice the quality of their work. I worked with another web development team, and GrayCyan.com definitely exceeds them.

Their level of competency, artistic ability, and attention to detail are impressive. They always ask me if I’m happy with their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, none that I can think of. To be honest, everything has been perfect. I imagine that if we were to do another project down the road, we would use the latest color schemes and designs. For now, they’ve hit the nail on the head.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Teaching Gurus, a tutoring company for K-12.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

We needed someone to develop our CRM system that would connect all the franchises and have a centralized system for financials, student records, and an invoicing system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GrayCyan.com started out by adding a location tool on our website which is a map that people can use to find locations easily. We then started to discuss with him about the CRM and he got us a quote, showed us a snapshot of how things would look, and we went through exactly what we were looking for. 

We made a pretty lengthy document with him that included all of the features. They developed our CRM from scratch using Laravel, making it completely custom to what we wanted. They created a system that allowed for 50–200 locations on there without any adjustments needed. 

There are tools on the CRM. We looked at customizing things specifically to our needs, and they included attendance features. Additionally, GrayCyan.com added student records and registrations on there. We have a connect system for all of our franchisees so it’s centralized. 

They also incorporate payment records, royalties, invoicing, and communication within the CRM. Each franchisee has its own login. They were able to build it from scratch in terms of exactly everything we were looking for.

What is the team composition?

I work with one person.

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

We thought a custom solution might cost too much. Initially, we were just looking for somebody to make certain changes to our website. We looked at 10–15 different companies.

They each had certain features but they weren’t able to accommodate other people’s features. We had to go the custom route, which GrayCyan.com was able to execute. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $7,000-$8,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before launching it, GrayCyan.com gave us a test login. I had certain franchisees go on to test it and go through all the features. So far, I haven’t had any bugs and I use it all the time. I was completely satisfied with his service. It’s a smooth tool. He calls me often just to check up and see if everything is going well.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

I was a little unsure initially about having just one point of contact with a pretty big project. However, everything was done in such a timely manner, and he even delivered before our due date. We communicated every few days through WhatsApp, calls, emails, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The price and time management were most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any troubles at all. Everything went smoothly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for. Thoroughly explain your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a gym. We also do a lot of training, nutrition, and massage therapy. So, it’s a one-stop fitness center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

We wanted to build a unique website that was within our price range.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a few ideas of what we were thinking. They showed us some examples of what they were thinking for us and what we could benefit from. It was right on par with what we were thinking, so we let them have fun with it. They integrated our software with the site, and I believe the site is on WordPress. They also made some recommendations, but I created the content.

What is the team composition?

I spoke with the owner directly, and he was our go-to person. There is a team that worked on it as well.

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

I found Clutch from a Google search. I then spoke to several people from the site, and they stuck out to us the most. Their costs stuck out from competitors and their portfolio was original. Others we talked to didn’t have the wow factor we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

It was around $1,500 CAD (approximately $1,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in February 2020 and wrapped up in March.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My team really likes it. It came together really well.  Internally, we’re very happy with it.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

They did great. We had a lot of contact with them. They used WhatsApp and email so we went back and forth quickly to make sure the job didn’t take too long. Overall, it was a great experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were on point with everything I can think of. This is my first experience working with a web developer, but they delivered on everything we asked from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything was pretty good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a bit of freedom to add some creativity to your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

York Region Psychological Services is a company that provides medical assessments and counseling for clients. They provide a whole range or assessments—psychological, psycho-vocational, gifted assessments, and ADHD-related assessments—both to the ordinary public and to clients referred by either insurance companies or lawyers, who’ve been involved in vehicle- or work-related accidents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

We were creating a revised website and performing meaningful SEO on an ongoing basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an existing site. We looked at what the competition was doing and at what we had and what we needed to improve, and they came back with suggestions. We didn’t use a template. They designed the site on WordPress based on our input.

The added a plug-in, which we call “Find a Therapist”. It enables users to put in their geographic location and find a therapist within a certain radius using Google Maps.

All the digital marketing work is organic. We identified a list of keywords and engaged them for a 12-month period to optimize for those specific searches. We target search terms like “psychologist” plus a geographical area. We have our own mix of psychological services and specific locations.

What is the team composition?

We’re just working with Nishkam (Founder).

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

Our prior SEO organization wanted to almost double our monthly fees, and their website redesign wasn’t good. We just didn’t think it was acceptable, so we put a search out. I suspect that GrayCyan.com was a referral from someone.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $5,000–$10,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with GrayCyan at the very beginning of December 2019. The SEO is ongoing, and we’re loading content into the new website they created for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site isn’t live yet, so we don’t have any metrics at this point.  I am confident that the SEO will be superior to what we had before. They’ve spent time helping us determine what the keywords should be, and did background work to produce statistics on our current keywords.

I’ve worked a lot of on the old site, basically rewriting a lot of the content. In terms of page layouts, the new site is far superior to the old one.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Ours is not a typical venture, so we haven’t used any project management tools. We have ad hoc communication, with a lot of phone calls and emails. We also use WhatsApp, which is been really helpful for quick responses. We’ve had half a dozen GoToMeeting calls as well. It’s informal, but managed and moving in the right direction at the same time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It would be their attentiveness and response to what the client needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The general guidance would be to understand their market and where they want to go. The positive thing with GrayCyan was that they asked questions and understood our needs, then advised us on how to move forward in a positive direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of M6 Parking. We provide parking enforcement on a number of properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrayCyan.com?

We wanted to redo our existing front page, which is a static website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redid the frontend of our website from scratch and adjusted the backend of our app as well. It needed to be mobile-responsive and SEO-friendly. We also asked them to provide a mockup and redo of the backend as well. They used PHP, AWS, and a lot of databases and tables.

They offered a couple of design templates for me to look at as we talked about how navigation should work. They requested that I provide a color theme, font, and other preferred attributes. Everything was designed from the ground up to match my preferences.

We have had several phases of the project. The frontend of the website was redone, which was the easiest because all of the information is very static. Then, we moved onto the application which they recreated. We are currently trying to add additional features. Additionally, we need payment solutions and need an application to be developed. It seems like GrayCyan is capable of delivering those.

When officers use the app, they can access the live database. When an officer shows up to a property, they can pull up data immediately. So, the uptime for our website needed to be consistent. It can’t go down for a minute. They manage the MySQL servers as well as .NET.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Nishkam (Founder). He also has a team of technical people, and he provided me their information. He helped me with server set up and dealt with the more technical stuff with his team.

How did you come to work with GrayCyan.com?

Initially, I sought help from someone else but it wasn't a good match. I found GrayCyan's website online and checked out their past work. I was very satisfied with the design language that was there. I wanted to reach out to someone that could work with me one-on-one. Nishkam was the first one to respond and was one of the first ones to continue our discussion over time.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we've spent $11,000, which is under my budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in June 2019, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is very responsive, and the color, theme, and layout and updated are all exceptional. We heard from our clients in the past when the website went down. The website wasn’t able to handle the volume of people in the past. Also, when the website is down, we can’t do our patrols.

Since the website went live, I have not had to respond to any emails from our clients about the website being down. Our patrols have also run smoothly.

How did GrayCyan.com perform from a project management standpoint?

They are good with timelines and very informative. When I am told something will be done in two weeks, I know I can hold them accountable. By the time those two weeks are done or even earlier, they have completed what was expected. For example, we had an update to our website, and everything started and ended exactly when it was supposed to. They deliver the result as expected. They are very good at finding bugs, constantly doing tests on their end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very responsive to my needs. It doesn’t feel like they have other projects. I can reach out to Nishkam any time and he will always respond back to me. I feel like I am the only client they are dealing with and am being taken care of as such. It is obviously not the reality, but that is exactly what I am looking for. If there is an issue, I would like it to be addressed. That is exactly what Nishkam does.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything at this time. When I request certain things to be done, I get the results that I need. I am pretty satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Reach out to them. I reached out to them, and they were very responsive to our needs. I am very satisfied with them.