Hooked On Code

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Centsational Tax Solutions, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tax preparation for individuals and small businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hooked On Code to accomplish?

• Build a new website so I could use my business number.
• Add privacy policy language to my site so I can text my clients.

SOLUTION

How did you find Hooked On Code?

Referral

Why did you select Hooked On Code over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Hooked On Code were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I needed a website designed/built so I could use my business number.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I needed a website designed and built very quickly. My business started out of a unusual situation where clients needed the ability to contact me directly. I asked Hooked on Code if they could deliver in 2-4 weeks. They absolutely delivered in that timeframe, with the holiday season in full swing.

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

Hooked on Code was referred to me through a network group. Torie and her team were able to deliver a great website in a very short amount of time. My business developed out of a very unusual situation and I needed clients to be able to contact me quickly, and they went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. I also needed a privacy policy added, and they knew exactly what I needed and gave a great reference. These girls are amazing!

What was your primary form of communication with Hooked On Code?

Virtual Meeting

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

It's a woman owned business that does web design. Being a woman owned business myself, I fully support this.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hooked On Code could have done differently?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of Victory City Cycles

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

E-bike rental and sales

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hooked On Code to accomplish?

• Website
• Booking Platform
• Increase Traffic

SOLUTION

How did you find Hooked On Code?

• Online Search

It's tricky picking a web designer, there are so many options and pricing models available. Hooked on Code has a perfect price point for most small to medium sized businesses looking to create or refresh their brand. 

Why did you select Hooked On Code over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hooked On Code were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Website design and implementation of booking platform for rental of products. 
• Created graphic design as well as content for full site
• Tested booking platform and loaded all products and services
• Ensured mobile friendly sites matched 
• Included hosting, backend training and cloud setup

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Continuous updates and calendar of virtual meetings organized by Hooked On Code weekly to review goals, status and get feedback. Extremely organized method of review and summary of any action items needs, timelines and who it was assigned to keeping me in the loop at all phases. 

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

They delivered the product before schedule and were a joy to work with throughout the entire project. The PM was thoughtful, highly organized and went above and beyond to offer options for training and understanding the new website and booking platform. 

What was your primary form of communication with Hooked On Code?

Virtual Meeting

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

They are down to earth, honest, kind, and highly skilled. They ran the entire project with professionalism, while still being candid on any issues or suggestions that thought might improve the overall business. As a startup, this was vital to me and made me feel like I had a team, instead of a contractor working for me. It was an educational and enjoyable process. 

Each of them were highly skilled, kind and a delight to work with. They helped my business in so many ways and I can't recommend them enough.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hooked On Code could have done differently?

No. They truly handled every aspect from beginning to end quickly and professionally. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President of Sales of Original One Parts

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sell reconditioned, recycled and aftermarket headlights to collision repair facilities who are repairing vehicles for the motoring public.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hooked On Code to accomplish?

• Create company website

SOLUTION

How did you find Hooked On Code?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Hooked On Code over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing first our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Hooked On Code’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

SOW with HookedOnCode was to create a new company website that can be used as a recruiting tool but that also accurately depicts the new product direction and technological direction company is going.

Key deliverables included executing completion of project with a short timeline, functionality of customer return process from website and creating an updated and improved brand for company. All were achieved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Launch date met

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

The HookedOnCode team not only delivered items on time they actually kept us(customers) on track to deliver needed items for project completion. Response times were very quick, and our experience with their team was awesome.

What was your primary form of communication with Hooked On Code?

Virtual Meeting

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

Whether it was email, text, IM or video calls the HookedOnCode team was always available and response to our needs, driving a great experience and building confidence along the way to meeting all deliverables within a tight timeline of launch.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hooked On Code could have done differently?

There are none that I can state, the HookedOnCode team led this effort as the experts in their field to drive a final product everyone is happy with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of living timber Co.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code, and what were your goals?

Our website was having major issues with our old web developer. Torre and her team took on our website and have made our site super easy to manage and navigate. Torre and her team have gone above and beyond to help us get our site on track and look the way we want it to look. Our goals were to create a website that was simple to use for our customers and look fresh and new!

SOLUTION

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

Another business owner in our industry suggested Hooked on code and i saw the amazing work they had done for him and i was more then happy to give Torre and her team a go.

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

We had a video call with torre to explain the horrible situation our old developer had put us in and explained how frustrating our site was to navigate, we told Torre that our old developer had told us it was not possible for us to achieve the goals we wanted to set. Torre was able to easily fix the issues we had and give us the website that we wanted without the hassle of us having to do anything. Torre took on board what we wanted and executed it with ease.

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

Adriana is our main point of contact and she does an amazing job at helping us with every question we have about the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our entire website is so professional and simple to navigate. Without Torre and her team we would not have been able to achieve this goal and with that our small company is able to grow!

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

We are able to email any time and an automated ticket is opened and our questions are answered incredibly fast and our quires are resolved in a great time frame.

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

The contact and communication have been absolutely amazing. As well as the work that is done on our web site.

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

I honestly cannot fault Torre and her team. We have had no issues or any points that i would say needs to be worked on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an e-commerce business designing digital embroidery machine design files, and selling those design files as digital downloads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code, and what were your goals?

We recently transitioned from a large, template-based e-commerce provider to a custom-coded website. The original developers were no longer able to commit adequate time to the project, and the development team we switched to were an unmitigated disaster - unresponsive, slow, and ineffective at resolving our issues. We were left without a working website and no sales income. Our near-term goal with Hooked on Code was to resurrect the website and at least get it up and running to generate sales.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for developers who were local to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and the initial responsiveness from Torre (the owner) was impressive. She scheduled a web-based interview for early the next morning, and then she and her team were off and running!

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

We had an initial Zoom call with Torre to explain our situation - "white hot panic" would not have been an understatement. Torre listened to our situation and concerns, and explained how she and her team would be able treat this as a "code blue" emergency and get our site back up and running in the near term, and work on optimization and efficiency in the longer term.

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

I don't know the full extent of the team working on our issue, but we've received frequent status updates from Torre and Adriana.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Less than 36 hours after our initial Zoom teleconference with Torre, our site has been migrated onto WP Engine and is up and operational. The Hooked on Code team has also been working closely and effectively with the WP Engine support team in order to place our site in a server environment suitable for further testing, troubleshooting, and optimization while still having the "elbow room" to serve our customers and generate product sales.

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

Torre and her team have been emailing us with regular updates, and we have also been included in all of the communications between Hooked on Code and the hosting company (WP Engine). The team has accomplished an *incredible* amount of work in the past 48 hours, but has kept us "in the loop" throughout the entire process.

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

The team is obviously experienced, and they were willing to jump right into fixing an issue on a website that they did not build and knew nothing about. We basically handed them a fire that had been raging for 6+ weeks, and they extinguished it and got us back online and operational in less than two days.

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

I could not be happier, and can't think of anything that Torre and her team could have possibly done better. We're looking forward to working with them in the future now that our emergent needs have been met.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Sales/Business Development Manager (and Partner) for a long time eCommerce agency that is building a new company to better execute our Application Development offerings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code?

We hire HookedOnCode to design and build a brand new content only site for our new business venture.

SOLUTION

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

After meeting with several local companies about our project, we felt that Torre and HookedOnCode understood our objectives best and felt like their expertise in our requests fit best.

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

After a series of discussions and idea sharing meetings, we provided HookedOnCode with our assets (colors, logo, etc) and they provided several platform recommendations. We all agreed on a platform and a general look/feel idea. The HookedOnCode team chose an appropriate template and styled it based on what they thought we would like. They absolutely nailed it!

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

Torre and Brooke

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their understanding of our requirements was spot on. They delivered a great website on time and for the budget we agreed on. There were zero surprises and the team gave us a site that we're proud to show off.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Brooke was amazing and was an excellent communicator throughout our project. She was very thorough in what she needed from us, followed up accordingly and was easy to reach when we had questions for clarification.

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

We were looking for a company that had crowd funding website experience and their insights to this was what drew us to them. They were a fantastic team to work with.

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

Absolutely nothing! We are very pleased with our experiences with HookedOnCode and will highly recommend them again to anyone asking!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Dean of Operations for a small independent, non profit, special education middle and high school. It is one of my many tasks to oversee the marketing development for the school, including our online presence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code, and what were your goals?

Our website was re-vamped from a very old version back in 2019 through Wix.com, and while it was a big improvement, it lacked the polish to attract families to our program. We had some great photos but did not know how to make our program come to life through our older website with limited capabilities. We also needed a straightforward way for people to pay fees and donate online.

Hooked on Code put together a user-friendly interface for our families and prospective families. So far, the reviews have been stellar in terms of the ease of paying online and our new site's overall look and design.

SOLUTION

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

I know Torre from many moons ago and subscribe to the hilarious and helpful weekly email Hooked on Code sends out each Friday. When we were ready to commit to investing in re-vamping our site, it was really important to work with a woman-owned company that would not talk down to us and would understand and cares about the mission of our business.

I was so impressed with the quick response from Torre when I reached out through the Hooked on Code website. We felt valued immediately, and that was a refreshing response! Our other stakeholders appreciated the thoughtfulness and straightforward approach of Hooked on Code, how clear the proposal was, and how much we could gain as an organization partnering with a well-established and excellent development company.

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

Hooked on Code re-designed the entirety of our website and our logo. They put together the platforms for our RSVP system and payment system. We worked on color schemes, the vibe of the website, the wording, and ways to set our website apart from competitors. Every project step was thoughtfully detailed and dates were set for goals that the Hooked on Code team always met. In fact, they were incredibly patient with us when we needed to pause the project due to being understaffed. Every step of the way Hooked on Code was clear, kind, professional, thoughtful, and innovative.

I apologize that I am not tech savvy enough to describe in detail the technologies used and so on - However, I feel that speaks to the talent of Hooked on Code that they can work with people in vastly different industries and gain our confidence while producing an awesome product. Even us overworked educators in the nonprofit sector! We are so grateful.

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

We worked primarily with Torre as the lead, and she would go back and work with her designers and engineers. This was really helpful as we built a strong rapport and genuinely looked forward to meeting with her and learning about the new ideas and feedback from other team members from Hooked on Code.

We also worked with the Chief Operating Officer, who was helpful and professional in all communications. Since our website launched, we have worked with the Support team and found them all helpful, thoughtful, and on top of all the needs that come up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website launch has only been live for 2 and half weeks, so we do not have as of yet a great deal of data. However, our Parent Club donations have gone up considerably compared to last school year with the ability to pay online. We have heard from prospective parents how helpful it is to be able to pay the application fee online, and current parents have shared that the website looks fantastic and are thrilled with it. We love it too!

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

Communication, timeliness, and the tools of communication were all excellent. We utilized google docs a lot, which we also use internally in our organization, so that was a great way to track timelines and stay on top of the pieces we needed to provide as the clients. The project management style was incredibly professional while being kind and thoughtful of our time.

I always appreciated how Torre would work through the agenda quickly to try to "give us back time" and so often would. There really was no bullshit in this process and we could not appreciate that approach more!

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

We were impressed by the amount of research that went into checking out the competitor websites and comparing what we hoped to achieve with how other school sites are designed. There was so much connection and sincere care for our mission and getting the message of our mission out through the web design. The additional branding work that was done for our collateral materials has proven to be worth much more than we expected.

Hooked On Code gave our whole approach to marketing a breath of fresh air and revived our brand from top to bottom. When we initially reached out we had no idea that the outcome would be such a complete facelift to our brand and help us in a vast way with our marketing and appeal to customers. We loved working with a woman-owned and lead business, just like ours, that is top of the mark in the quality of work they produce and best in class for customer service and support. We are already recommending Hooked on Code to other businesses and nonprofits we work with!

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

From our initial discovery call last November to the customer appreciation call I just received moments ago, Hooked on Code has been a joy and gift to work with. We could not be more grateful or thrilled with the outcome. We look forward to working with them more as support is needed and referring them out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive assistant of a counselor, therapist, author, speaker, consultant, and leadership coach. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hooked On Code?

We needed to redesign our website to fit in the several entities covered by my boss’ scope of work. Our team had had a difficult time with the previous company that designed our website. Their output was missing a piece that gelled everything together.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Hooked On Code to help us find a good way to make everything work together. They had to section the website in a manner that allowed each entity to function separately while maintaining a cohesive look. 

Our team essentially left the design decisions up to Hooked On Code. They asked us many questions during the process, going over the things that we had in mind for the project. From there, they handled everything. 

At present, we’re still working with Hooked On Code. They’re maintaining the website and providing support for us. 

What is the team composition?

We work with one main point of contact from their team, and that person has walked us through each step of the engagement. Other people from their team also work on the project, though I don’t know how many. 

How did you come to work with Hooked On Code?

We found Hooked On Code through a mutual friend of my boss. Another company had known about them. In a way, we found them through networking. That was the start of our engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $15,000 on the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can’t provide any quantitative feedback. Qualitatively, Hooked On Code’s creative team is great. They’ve made the differences among the site’s sections clear while linking its separate entities well. 

How did Hooked On Code perform from a project management standpoint?

Hooked On Code’s project management style is excellent. We’ve been unsure of what we need, but our main point of contact handles everything well. She follows a specific timeline and plans meetings ahead of time. More importantly, the timelines and plans are followed — they’re on it and we don’t experience delays. As a result, everything is finished on time. 

To communicate, we mainly use emails for our team to get opinions during the development process. That way, all ideas are trackable and accessible. We also use phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Hooked On Code team is highly responsive. We don’t have many downtimes; if we need something, they respond to us quickly. Their resources also resolve issues fast. For comparison, the development companies we’ve used in the past aren’t as accessible as Hooked On Code. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. We’re truly satisfied with everything, so we honestly can’t think of any improvement they need. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a dentist at World Class Dentistry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code, and what were your goals?

Our website was outdated and needed a total revamp. We have been struggling with past website developers that could not meet our design vision and goals. We wanted a total makeover from the ground up and Hooked On Code met all our requirements and vision.

SOLUTION

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

We were searching in big metropolitan areas for a professional company that had great reviews and finished products focused in web design.

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

We needed to completely revamp our outdated website from ground up. We were on on old hosting site and website developing platform. We gave them complete control over finding preferred hosting and other sites they recommended. They worked diligently to incorporate our needs and desires into each page of the site. The finished product is truly the best representation of our family office and it is continually getting better with each update.

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

Torre was our lead for the whole team. She would gather the questions and ideas from her marketing and design team and we would give her the answers to take back to each individual member of the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our patients cannot compliment our website enough. New patients always comment that the overall feel our website portrays is the reason they chose to give us a chance. It is very modern and far from cookie cutter which helps it really stand out.

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

Torre has always been available through text, email, Zoom. Frequent communications meant we were all on the same page and any ideas were quickly implemented. She really is hands-on which is what has been lacking with our experiences with other web design companies.

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

Torre and the team really went above and beyond with the pre-launch meeting and prep. We went through each part of the website together over Zoom to make sure we all agreed to the content and the design. Any changes we wanted were quickly added. They even created instructions for adding new pages or how to alter the layout on our own if we wanted to be more hands-on.

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

They have been prompt with responding to our questions and requests; we have no complaints or issues to this day. They have been great to partner with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of North Bay Commercial Real Estate, a boutique commercial real estate company located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hooked On Code?

Our website was created about 20 years ago, had been unprofessionally modified, and was totally outdated. We wanted a more modern looking website. We decided to rebrand our marketing with new colors and logo.

SOLUTION

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

I visited another website that was created by Hooked On Code. It appeared clean and professional. After speaking with Torre we felt she would be a good choice to help us develop our new website.

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

The process was relatively painless. Torre explained the process and the steps involved. They did a good job staying on track and completing the website.

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

Our main contact was Torre Capistran, owner of Hooked On Code. We also worked with their graphics designer, Rachel, who did a great job with color changes and a new company logo.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Communication was excellent and they stayed on task throughout the project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Using email and Zoom the workflow was a snap.

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

They were able to stay on task and communicate effectively. They made the changeover from our old website and host to the new website and host a very seamless process.

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

No we were very happy with the overall process.