Inclind

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of utility services at an electric power cooperative. We serve about 18 counties and roughly 36,000 people with power distribution. We don’t transfer power or generate it. Basically, we provide from the substation to the house or business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

We don’t bill our members the same way we’re billed. We have a large component called Demand. Demand is an extra cost when we have to bring new power plants or resources online.

Typically, in the summertime between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., our customers’ power need rises up significantly. We see a very predictable curve or peak throughout the afternoon into the evening hours. We’re trying to help customers understand that peak and use less power during that peak.

Our team wanted to create a communication tool where our membership could voluntarily be told what specific days it’d make the biggest impact for them to lower their power use. We’ve called it the Beat the Peak event which is a voluntary load reduction. We needed a communication tool that’d allow us to reach out to a large number of people who were willing to participate in this event.

We decided to develop an app to have that communication pushed out. This is where we brought in Inclind. There’s another organization that’s been doing this and worked with Inclind in the past. We’re essentially building off of their work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app sends what we call a Beat the Peak alert to users in the morning. It sends a notification to their phone, and the app has a yellow lightbulb that says there is a Beat the Peak event scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Starting at 2 p.m., the light will turn from yellow to red and there will be a menu list that asks users how they’re beating the peak. With that functionality, we’re trying to suggest ways that users can significantly reduce their energy consumption.

There are 20–30 different things that users can consider. The app allows them to check a box to let us know what they’re doing so we can collect some metrics coming back.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four individuals throughout the lifecycle of the development. First, we worked with Inclind’s founder. Once we got down the scope of work and project, he passed us onto a project manager who then brought in a developer. Then, we were assigned a new project manager down the road.

How did you come to work with Inclind?

They had developed an app for another cooperative in Delaware. We had run that through some internal communications within the electric co-op world. We got ahold of that group and spoke to them about their program.

They were very gracious and offered to let us work with the people who had built their app as a foundation to build off of. They linked us up with Inclind. Once we had the initial discussion, they really seemed to get it. We were happy to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started around October 2020. The project is mostly wrapped up, there are just one or two things left that I need to ask questions about.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Inclind has done everything we’ve asked of them almost perfectly the first time. Their team delivered exactly what we were looking for. We had to redo the logo, but that was the only change that was needed.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

They utilize some internal project management and storyboard tools to show us mock-ups for the approval window. It was evident that they have a clear methodology for running the development process. One thing I’ve really appreciated is having a single point of contact. With the PM application they use, I’ve had exactly that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have a lot of experience, and one thing I noticed about Inclind is that they’ve done a very professional and clean job. Communication is constant and they’re easy to work with. Everything feels very much like they are working as an agent of our organization and doing what we asked. It seems like they were one of my teams.

Inclind works so cleanly and independently. I like the idea of someone coming to me with checkpoints at prescheduled times and showing me the progress they were doing and giving me decision points. That’s how Inclind has done things, without us even discussing it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since we were handed off from the first project manager to the second, there was one component of the project in the statement of work that Inclind missed. As the transition between the project managers occurred, we noticed that the second primary function was missed.

When we asked about it, Inclind went back and reviewed the statement of work. Within two days, they had the solution in place. It wasn’t that much of a problem. I was concerned that it would be since it was missed, but they dealt with it in a quick and positive way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder & manager of a security alliance think tank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

We needed some backend development and migration done for our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our public-facing website was on Drupal 7. They migrated the content and handled site improvements to reshape the design. They also developed the backend, enabling the website to support all necessary activity.

The website is informational and supports member activities. We organize events, such as presenting a challenge for people to solve. People provide their abstracts for solutions, which are ranked on the website.

Their team collaborates with us to find solutions to complex problems and develops those solutions. They also provide ongoing maintenance of the website.

What is the team composition?

We work with roughly 25 people, including a project manager and developers. There are many people working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Inclind?

We took bids on the project; they were the cheapest.

How much have you invested with them?

Our total spent is about $200,000. Their services cost roughly $100,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around August 2019, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have done everything asked of them, meeting our expectations. The end product is good and has received positive feedback. They provide higher quality work than previous vendors I’ve collaborated with. I am quite satisfied.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager interacts with me directly to discuss the project, and I speak with the developers as needed. My team interacts with their team regularly. We have video calls and use GitHub for tweaking details on the website.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate the ease of communication with the entire team. They provide quality work at affordable prices, something particularly important to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They have been learning new things alongside us, and should continue to do so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have scoping discussions before starting the project to ensure they understand what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital communications coordinator for Beebe Healthcare. We are a hospital and healthcare system in Lewes, Delaware.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

The project goal was to redesign the website into a modern-day approach to healthcare delivery online, as well as to have the ability to have more connected calls to action in the forms of buttons, click to call features, and webforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They originally helped us bring our website onto Drupal, but we also completed a redesign and redevelopment of that same website.

We basically started from scratch. Our previous website was a dinosaur compared to today’s standards. When we got funding, we decided to look at a broad variety of healthcare websites and some non-healthcare websites to see what we liked, what we thought would work for us, and also to really understand what our consumers wanted.

From Inclind’s side, we went back and forth with them on a number of different templates that we wanted to have available for the website. We went through several iterations before we landed on exactly what we thought represented our brand and our organization.

Throughout the project, our team and Inclind worked closely with group called the patient-family advisory council, who over the years, has provided us with feedback. Together, we did some wireframe type design studios. Throughout the process, we touched base with them and had them test it and provide feedback on whether the forms were confusing, if it made sense, and if the layout worked for them.

What is the team composition?

There was a core team of about four people. We have always worked closely with the owner of Inclind, Shaun. For this specific project, he had a core project team with Kelsey (Project Manager) who we worked with, and we had a specific designer Amy (Creative Director) who has experience in the healthcare space as well as other spaces. She is an incredible website designer who really thought things through and worked with us closely. We also had Bryan (Technical Director) as a developer. We did work with some other people when we ran into specific questions, and we also brought Veronica (Drupal Engineer) on board when we needed her.

How did you come to work with Inclind?

We have worked with Inclind for several years. I have been with Beebe since 2014, and I believe Inclind was hired just prior to me starting. When we found out we were getting the budget for this project, we did do a national search for website design companies. We actually interviewed 5–6 companies; some came onsite, and some that we did video chats with.

We finally ended up going with Inclind because they knew us so well, and they were ingrained in our system.

We like to support local businesses, and they are local to us. In addition to knowing us, they also really know our patients. They have family members who are patients, and they themselves have been to our facilities.

We’re a community-based healthcare system, and we didn’t want that aspect of us to be lost in redesigning the website. We wanted to make sure that the community was present on our website when we launched the new look. We felt like Inclind could deliver that.

How much have you invested in them?

We have an annual contract with them, and I still touch base with them on a weekly basis. Our capital project was just over $100,000 for the website project itself and some other things that were included in that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the discovery portion around September 2019. We The actual project wrapped up and launched around the end of February or beginning of March of this year, but we are going to continually work with them on our maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, we have been getting great performance reviews from both of our internal stakeholders as well as our external stakeholders. I have gotten many feedback emails through the website from people saying how much more organized it is and how easy it is to find things.

Overall, I think before we did the redesign, we were getting 30,000 views, and now the last time I looked it was close to 50,000. We have already seen an increase of views on our website; however, some of that is probably related to Coronavirus.

Because of COVID-19, we had to dedicate several pages of the website to information on best practices for the community to keep themselves healthy. I can say that to those pages that we are really monitoring right now that have information about Coronavirus and precautions, those are getting 500 hits a day which is pretty high for one single page of our website anyway.

They were really great partners. Had COVID-19 not interrupted everything, we would have added even more features. We actually launched the website a couple of weeks before it impacted our area. As a result, we didn’t get to do a lot of the anecdotal follow up with our patient family council or do a really big launch like we had planned.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a project manager that was dedicated to us for this project. She and I worked really well together. There were actually three of us; I, worked really closely with Kelsey, and Amy throughout the project. I think we had calls several times a week depending on what stage of development we were in. Those two women are incredible and they work really well together.

They’re also very flexible. We had some bumps that can be expected during the course of a website development project that put us back. For example, third-party vendors were struggling to incorporate certain features into the new website so there were some bumps like that, but they were really flexible.

If we had to change a meeting, they were ready and willing to figure out what could work. Right at the end, we had some concerns about some of the pages looking too sterile. Our brand is very people-focused and very vibrant, but we were getting some comments that it looked so corporate and sterile.

Right near the end of the project, we had to adjust that on the fly, but Amy already had something ready. We were stressed out about it because we had to make a pretty significant change to all of the pages, and she had something ready and they deployed it that same week. It could have been this horrible delaying thing, and it ended up being a seamless fix just because they were so ready to jump in and get it fixed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though they aren’t a branding or marketing company, they are very in tune with what our brand is and who we are. They did a lot of background work with us on looking at our advertising that is out there in the world. They looked at the kind of volumes we did, the kind of services we were providing, and what our most popular service is. The background research made us all feel like they really got our business.

They didn’t tell us how we should have our website; they talked to us about what we liked and didn’t like about websites. They talked to us about our past website and what was frustrating about it and what we felt didn’t work.

Then they showed us a bunch of examples, and we must have looked at 100 websites to discuss what we really liked and what we thought would represent our brand well.

That deep dive into learning who the organization is, such as the demographic we are serving and who we want to project ourselves to be in our community, really sets them apart from other companies that basically give you an out of the box solution. I really thought that was a nice touch to have, especially when you are a smaller organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The whole process was very smooth, even though we had leadership changes on our end throughout the project. When I look back on it, we could have had a few more meetings just to make sure that the transition was going to be smooth between our final go through and launch. I think everyone at that point was overwhelmed because we had so many meetings. I felt like we launched but I had not heard from them, and we could have had a few more touch bases.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have kind of a timeline that you are both following so that you have a good understanding of when things will be done. If they aren’t done on time, just make sure you follow up. We had a couple of different timeline scenarios that we went through, and I really liked that I could just go look at this work timeline, and go down to whatever date it was and see what they were working on that week, and I could see what my responsibilities were.

Inclind is very supportive of their customers. There were times where I was so busy with other responsibilities, and they really stepped up to do some extra things because I just couldn’t get to them. They are very supportive and anyone going into that relationship should know they have your back.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The American Philosophical Association promotes the discipline and profession of philosophy, both within the academy and in the public arena. The APA supports the professional development of philosophers at all levels and works to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the value of philosophical inquiry. I am the deputy director, which is an administrative and managerial position under the executive director of the association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Inclind?

We needed a website for a publication of the APA that had been updated on an annual basis and published in print in the past. At the time we hired Inclind, it existed as an Access database that we updated manually and from which we produced a PDF.

We wanted something with a web interface that the various graduate programs could use to update their own information, and which philosophers could use to search and gather information about graduate programs in philosophy. We did not have the expertise to create such a site on our own.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have the site ready to go by a preset deadline. We wanted the site to be functional, user-friendly, to have a good user experience, and to maintain APA branding. We could not afford for the site to go over budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We distributed a request for proposals to selected web developers based on my research, and also published it publicly and posted on social media about the opportunity. We reviewed the proposals, narrowed them down to a few finalists, and made our decision.

We found that Inclind's process and effort to understand the project before providing a proposal was stronger than other vendors. We also liked the fact that they used Drupal, which seemed to be a more future-ready platform than some of the others. Being fairly local also was a factor—one of the other finalists was in Australia, and we were a bit anxious about the distance and time difference.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our requirements were as follows, in descending level of importance:

1. A database with a front-end website to display the data
2. Single log-in accounts for departments so they can update their department’s information
3. The ability for users to filter the list of departments on multiple criteria
4. The ability for users to search on most fields, and to search on multiple fields at once - an advanced search functionality
5. Security and redundancy to prevent loss from accident or malicious attack
6. The ability for admins to export data as CSV or a spreadsheet

We also required a backend interface for APA admins with the following functionalities, again in descending level of importance:

1. The ability for admins to add, rename, and organize fields both for the departments and for display to users
2. The ability to do math with fields whenever we need to. Example: The form that departments fill out asks for the number of students by gender and race, and then it adds these to get the total number of students.
3. The ability for administrators to decide which fields to hide or display to the user
4. The ability for users to sort search results by various criteria
5. The ability to administer user, department, and admin accounts on the backend, including adding and removing users and changing/resetting passwords
6. The ability for users to browse or filter by characteristics
7. The ability to limit access to certain user features (for example, aggregations, spreadsheets and charts/graphs) to APA members. Ideally, this would be a member login
8. The ability to expand to include undergrad programs without a major overhaul
9. The ability for users to view search results in their choice of a detailed (long) or concise (short) format.
10. The ability for users to format department listings as printable pages.
11. Display of last date updated information for each department’s listing.
12. The ability to offer advertising on the site.

We also had a few requirements for features that would potentially be members-only, again in descending level of importance:

1. The ability for users to save searches. Possible members-only feature.
2. The ability for users to save, bookmark, or add to a list of departments for future reference.
3. The ability for users to export data as CSV or a spreadsheet.

Inclind laid out a plan that included an agile workflow. Based on the data we had, the functionality we wanted, they provided a schedule in phases, with the development broken into three sprints. Before each sprint, we had a backlog meeting.

During the sprints, we had daily scrum meetings. Since the project completion in 2015, we have maintained an ongoing service contract with security updates and tech support. We also have an annual sprint to make important updates to the site, including feature updates and bug fixes.

What was the team composition?

I was the primary contact on the APA side. On Inclind's side, there was a project manager, a front-end developer, a front-end designer, and a back-end developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The Grad Guide has been a valuable addition to the resources that the APA offers to the philosophy community. School representatives can make updates to their program listings, APA staff can make basic changes to the site. Users can browse, sort, filter, and export data as desired.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Inclind maintains a structure for everything that they do. This helps us to anticipate and manage costs, to know what to expect when, and to stay on track overall.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The structure of the project and the methodical progress through the steps of the project helped to minimize problems. When problems inevitably arose, and there weren't many, Inclind handled them effectively.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing I can think of is that the invoices sent by their recently implemented invoicing system don't always seem to reach us. We've paid a couple late as a result recently.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a nonprofit utilities provider that serves about 90,000 square meters in southern Delaware. We’re an electric cooperative, so the people we serve, all of which reside in southern or central Delaware, basically own and operate us.

What is your position?

I’m the manager of marketing and communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Inclind?

We had an old website that had way too much information on it. It was so cluttered that people couldn’t find information they were searching for. There were certain functions that users couldn’t perform online. For instance, we wanted them to be able to pay bills, check power outages, and submit requests. We also have a program here called Beat the Peak, where during times of peak energy use across our service territory, we ask people to conserve. We wanted Inclind to build that custom notification into our website, on the home page, so that when folks logged on during the peak usage time, they’d be able to see that they needed to conserve. We came to them with a lot of expectations.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

From the minute we met with them they provided strategic guidance and oversight, design, custom development, database hosting and configuration, training, maintenance, and support. They’ve basically offered a full range of services. 

Had you selected Drupal as your preferred content management system prior to engaging Inclind?

Our old site was built on a previous version of Drupal, and we knew going into the project that we would retain Drupal as our primary platform.

How did you select Inclind as your solution partner?

They had designed a previous website for us several years ago, and had done a great job. Based on that experience, we figured we should reach back out to them for this particular endeavor.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this particular project?

It cost us about $40,000.

When was this project completed?

Our site was launched at the end of May or beginning of June this year [2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We’ve received quite a bit of feedback from members, either calling into our call center or emailing the cooperative, saying how much they liked the new website, particularly the home page. Using the analytics and reporting tools that they’ve provided, we were able to pinpoint the four most popular pages on our site, and we made them visible with little icons on the home screen. People can now pay their bills, view our outage map, or search for energy tips. Our own management and executives here have also provided a lot of positive feedback, and other utilities providers across the region. I’ve received phone calls from electric cooperatives in the Midwest asking who’d designed our website, and where the ideas came from because they liked the look and the feel so much.

When working with Inclind, is there anything you’d consider unique about their strategic approach and/or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

I’m not sure whether it’s unique or not, but they’re very attentive to our needs. If I have a question or concern, or if I need help doing something, they’re always there to pick up the phone, or immediately respond to an email. They’re available 24 hours a day, in some cases. As a utility provider, where there are outages, and there are issues around the clock for us, their reliability has provided us with peace of mind.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think Inclind could improve as a service provider?

I really can’t think of any areas for improvement. The process couldn’t have gone any smoother with them. We’ve experienced zero issues since launch.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on September 4, 2018 by the client. The original star ratings were: Overall - 5, Quality - 5, Schedule - 5, Cost - 5, NPS - 5. New Content is below. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing and communication at Delaware Electric Cooperative. We are a not-for-profit utility that serves about 100,000 homes and businesses in Southern Delaware.

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

We hired Inclind to provide web design and development services for our company.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Inclind set aside time for training to walk me through the steps of launching a new website. As they instructed me on web development, they indicated vital aspects to include and obstacles to anticipate. We collaboratively designed three versions. The user-facing side of our Drupal platform is simple to use, and I can easily manipulate aspects from the admin panel. Using data from Google Analytics, Inclind analyzed which parts of our site received the most traffic. They identified the best features to display prominently on the homepage and which ones to deemphasize.

A few years ago, many people were curious about the amount of energy our new solar farm was producing and how much was going back into the system. When Inclind designed the latest version of our site, they added a component to displays these metrics in real time. They integrated this feature into a dashboard on the homepage. From mobile and desktop sites alike, consumers can access this data anywhere and instantly share it on social media. Our members and employees have found it very interesting, as well.

What is the team composition?

For several years, Nancy (Former Project Coordinator, Inclind) was our main point of contact. We’ve also interacted with Shaun (Founder and Director, Inclind) and several other individuals like designers.  All of them have been wonderful to work with.

How did you come to work with Inclind?

We were already working together when I started here. The larger design companies from Baltimore and Washington we’d used before were prohibitively expensive. Inclind came recommended as a service-focused local option that provides deliverables at a more reasonable cost. 

When we went through a bidding process for the initial website redesign, Inclind sent in the most affordable proposal. Along with cost, their designs, services, style, and response time factored into our decision. This was one of the first projects I was assigned in the marketing department, and we’ve been working in partnership ever since.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2011.

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

When we launched Inclind’s newest version of our website two years ago, many of our members called, wrote, and Facebook messaged us about how much they loved the design. Based on their comments, it’s easy to use, navigate. The information is organized in a readily consumable format.

Based on our customers’ responses, the new changes had a marked impact and pleased our users. A national marketing outlet for electric co-ops accidentally printed a photo of our site in a magazine as part of their web builder program. Even though this was an honest mistake, our website received national attention for its design and ease of use on the consumer end.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

Inclind is incredible in project management. The way they solve problems and progress through each phase of the redesign makes sense. We always know when bills are due and when the site will launch. They're very easy to work with, especially compared to other companies.

As a utility company with 100,000 consumers, Inclind’s constant reliability has been crucial. The support dimension of their service covers changes and fixes we need. One time, I sent them a tweet about an issue I encountered during the weekend. They called me back within five minutes and solved the problem in under half an hour. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Inclind has the unique ability to create products that appear to cost $300,000 for a fifth of the price. Rather than a major city, they’re based in a small town within our service territory and footprint. Purchasing their highly professional service at a reasonable rate empowers us to serve our members better. We’d probably have to spend a fortune to provide the same level of quality if we worked with another vendor. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Inclind is responsive and helpful. I don’t have anything negative to say about them. Their clear explanations don’t require an IT background to understand. They are there for us anytime we need them.

They respond very fast, but it would be nice if they had a 24-hour number to call after working hours. While I’m comfortable using platforms like Twitter, other clients might prefer to discuss site issues over the phone.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Inclind is incredibly transparent and will help you every step of the way. They’re welcoming, encouraging, and made me feel more comfortable about the entire process from design to launch. 

They don’t expect you to know everything about web development. I lacked knowledge in this space, and they never made me feel unintelligent or inept. They even laid out which aspects of maintenance and management were my responsibility.

This review was updated again on July 2, 2019 by the client.

Could you detail the scope of their work and how it has evolved?

Over the past couple of months, we've worked on developing a new website and a new mobile app for our company. Inclind built a comprehensive outage management page on our site that provides detailed information about the cause of an outage and the power restoration timeline.

On the app, the team added push notifications so that we can communicate to consumers when the price of energy is high. The app issues other alerts and reminders as well. The team also built a feature that displays overall savings for customers in our program. We’ve spent about two months building the website and the app.

How much have you invested with them for this most recent project?

The app cost us somewhere between $10,000–$15,000, and the website was roughly $40,000. Overall, we spent around $50,000 on both the app and the website.

Can you describe the timeline of this most recent project?

We started last winter and completed both the app and the website in June 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of this most recent project?

We just launched the new website. We had an extensive set of parameters for the site, and the team met all of them. The mobile app was also launched recently for iOS and Android devices. We haven’t started marketing the app yet, but our directors and executive staff have been very positive about its future.

Inclind delivered a product that perfectly matches our vision. We’re confident that the app is going to help us save our consumers millions of dollars over the next couple of years.

Are there any other takeaways that you would like to share?

This is the fourth website that we’ve launched with Inclind, and there’s a reason that we keep going back to them. They’re easy to work with, they meet their deadlines, and their technical support is fantastic. They’re a wonderful company, and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the marketing director at a laboratory equipment distributor and manufacturers rep. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind? 

Our company was looking for a new website developer. We'd worked with our previous one for over 10 years, and we weren't fully satisfied with their service. Our old website was getting outdated and had limited features. We needed to improve the design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

For our first request, we needed to make sure all the data from our old website could be transferred over to the new website without any interruptions. Our main goal was to improve the SEO. Inclind gave our site more of an e-commerce look and feel. They made the checkout process smoother.

The team came in a few times to explain their process and show us their work. They suggested a few different technologies to use, but we ended up going with WooCommerce. They also used another tool called Solar on our site. 

What is the team composition?  

Our main point of contact is Nick (Frontend Developer, Inclind). In total, there were probably about 10 people from the team working on our project.

How did you come to work with Inclind? 

I found Inclind through a Google search for web developers. After reading reviews of their look and going through some of the websites they'd done previously, I contacted them. 

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent about $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started the project in June of 2018 and launched the website in February 2019. I initiated contact with them in the winter of 2017.  After interviewing a few other candidates, decided to hire them and started the project in June. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On Google, our organic traffic has increased significantly. Online orders have been hitting new records in terms of revenue each month since the new website launched. I haven't got much feedback from customers, but the increase in sales shows they must be finding the UX better and checkout process easier. 

 Our entire site is more organized and user friendly. Everyone loves the new version internally, especially our sales reps because it serves as a reference for product information. The platform they delivered makes it much easier to find products now with its new search feature. 

Overall, our success with Inclind has been very good. We've developed a good relationship with Inclind and really like their company.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint? 

Inclind has performed well from a project management standpoint. They consistently updated us throughout the entire process of building the website. The team gave us plenty of time to get back to them with feedback. About twice a month, they showed us updates.

Even after the website launched, they’ve stayed in touch regularly. I still have weekly meetings with our point of contact to discuss any issues we're experiencing.

Whenever I have a new task or issue, I usually send it to Nick via email. We meet for video conferences on Zoom once a week. They continue to provide updates on any changes we need or new features we want to add.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Inclind delivered exactly what we requested. Whenever I ask them if a new features or idea is possible, they pretty much always tell me it is. They've incorporated everything we want into the website exactly right. 

 Inclind is also very responsive. They get back to me within a few hours whenever I email them. Communication is one of Inclind’s greatest strengths. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I don't really have anything negative to say about them. Since the website launched, we've still had weekly follow ups. 

I know they're a busy company with tons of other projects, but sometimes the tasks have taken a little bit longer to get updated. I fully understand that they have to prioritize their work, though. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Our biggest issue during the project phase and website build was that I had different ideas than the president of our company.  Not having everyone on the client's side on the same page can get confusing. 

My advice would be to know exactly what you want with the project sync up with the people in your company so Inclind can do their work and deliver exactly what you want rather than jumping around and giving two different opinions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a housing locator at Sussex Community Crisis Housing Center (SCCHS). We’re a nonprofit that runs a homeless shelter and transitional apartments. We also seek to secure permanent housing for low-income individuals and families. I’m responsible for recruiting and retaining landlords wiling to rent to low-income tenants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Inclind?

We brought Inclind on to create a website.  

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to replace an outdated, hard-to-update website with a user-friendly version. It also had to be easy to navigate, professional, and uncluttered.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We wanted to use a local partner to support our region.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

After helping refine our design, Inclind migrated content from my original site to the new one they built. They also taught us how to add content and maintain our website going forward.

What was the team composition?

We primarily dealt with Amy (Creative Director, Inclind). She was available to answer our questions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Though it’s too early to see concrete results, many of my business acquaintances have complimented Inclid’s work. Personally, I’m pleased with the site’s visual appearance and easy maintenance.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The whole project ran smoothly and efficiently. We launched the site on time thanks to their prompt responses to our questions. I communicated with Amy over email. She was patient in explaining technical concepts, which I appreciated because I wasn’t very experienced with website maintenance.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They supported us throughout the project by contributing their own ideas without losing sight of our initial goals. Their responsiveness and personal service stood out to us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I saw. I had a great experience and would recommend them highly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at a destination marketing organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

We were looking to launch a new website by moving our current Drupal 7 platform into Drupal 8.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inclind updated the CRM from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8. In our planning call, we discussed our requirements for the site. We represent local businesses, so the content had to be done correctly. We needed a complete refresh, including the site design and information architecture. They also enhanced the platform from a mobile standpoint to ensure it works properly on mobile devices. Their team also improved our accessibility and ADA compliance.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Shaun (President, Inclind) on the contract. As far as day-to-day, I engaged with Nick (Frontend Web Developer, Inclind) and Dalton (Web Developer, Inclind).

How did you come to work with Inclind?

Drupal’s website lists validated vendors. I reached out to several different organization from their site. Inclind rose to the top due to their knowledge and ability to deliver within our timeframe. Their pricing was also reasonable.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Inclind between October 2018 to March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new platform recently launched, so there are no hard metrics yet. We’re working through post-launch cleanup right now, but overall, I was pleased with the work Inclind did for us.

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with Inclind was seamless. Their team works independently. I had confidence in them to stay on track. Along with a project management portal, we mainly communicated through phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their work quality and how easy they were to work with. That’s not always the case with outside vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think it went as well as expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should make sure they’re clear on expectations and timelines before starting. This ensures all deadlines are met. I think that’s what helped our project move smoothly. We all communicated well from the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system that encompasses a resort and rural community with a 210-bed licensed medical center along with some satellite locations in southern Delaware. Our charitable mission is to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people in the communities we serve. 

Our several locations in Sussex County offer walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehabilitation services. We provide both primary care and specialized services for cardiac and vascular, general surgery, robotic surgery, cancer treatment, women's health, and orthopedics. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inclind?

We had an intranet with an internal website for our team members that was very out of date. It was basically a system of shared folders with an HTML interface, so it was not meeting our organization's communication needs. We enlisted Inclind's help to redesign that site with the goals of making information easier to access and fostering communication internally. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inclind was deeply involved in every aspect of the project, from the discovery phase and user experience design all the way through frontend and backend development. They have also been assisting us with ongoing support, maintenance, and development for the site. 

Concerning technology, they built the platform on Drupal 8. We worked in partnership to create the wireframes and documentation based on research and user interviews we conducted. Their user experience team created a sitemap and wireframes for the new site. 

What is the team composition? 

Inclind assigned us a project manager who was my main point of contact. We worked with their user experience director, director of technology, and a couple of developers from their team. In total, the team probably included between 5–7 people. 

How did you come to work with Inclind?

Inclind has been a vendor partner of ours for some time. They work on our enterprise website as well as a few microsites. As our web development partner of choice, they were a natural first place to look when we wanted to redesign this specific platform. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Inclind in early to mid-April 2018 after earlier initial conversations. The site launched in October 2018 and our work together is still ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is in its very early days, and we're all still getting used to it, but we're already seeing some early indicators of success. For the first time, we're able to see how many people are using it. The site shows us what is and is not successful. It gives team members a way to communicate with each other in real time, which we had never been able to do before. 

How did Inclind perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager Kelsey (Digital Analyst, Inclind) was incredibly on top of everything, super easy to work with, and very communicative. Inclind really did a good job at project management. They finished everything on time and within the budget. They were responsive whenever we had questions. 

As with any large-scale project, timeline issues inevitably came up. Inclind was always transparent and willing to go the extra mile. They stayed as close to the original timeline as possible and let us know well in advance if there was going to be an issue. 

Our main form of communication was through email exchanges, but it felt like we had every channel available. We used Trello as a collaborative tool. Depending on the stage of the project, we had anywhere from weekly to daily meetings to touch base over the phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciated Inclind's ability to stand up such a large project in such a short amount of time. They constantly keep things moving through our pipeline and approach their work with an impressive level of transparency. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so. We've been really happy with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don't have any specific advice that's specific to Inclind because every different project is so specific. With any vendor, it's important to vet your options thoroughly to ensure they're a good fit for your team and your project needs. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a tourism director with Worcester County in Maryland. I manage several towns in Maryland and Delaware who participate in EatDrinkBuyArt.com. It’s a tourism campaign that encourages people to visit our coastal towns and support local shops, restaurants, artists, and entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Inclind?

About 18 towns collaboratively manage a website for this campaign. It was very outdated, and a few of the participants weren’t putting in a lot of maintenance efforts. We decided to redo the site with a completely new approach.

What were your goals for this project?

We tasked Inclind with creating a new style for the website. We wanted to capture the feel of a magazine or a blog.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Amy (Creative Director, Inclind) had done some work for us in the past. I trusted her, so we agreed to partner with the larger Inclind team.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

After we settled on a basic design framework, we spoke with our entire board to finalize the content we wanted on the site. We decided on several listicles that focused on educating travelers on what our communities offer. Using impactful photos, the engaging site promotes our talented culinary artists, performers, creatives, and any scheduled events.

The team used a WordPress platform and implemented our customized theme. They set up multiple access points to allow our contributors to consistently make updates and changes. Each participating town has a profile page specific to their local offerings. Inclind linked the content to social media to encourage sharing. They also provided some SEO services, group training sessions, and a user manual.

What was the team composition?

A representative from Delaware and myself worked directly with Amy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We launched the site in mid-November, so I don’t have concrete numbers yet. With that said, we’re happy with Inclind’s work. They delivered on time with no delays. It’s a fantastic website. We’re already experiencing more involvement from our participating towns.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We primarily spoke through conference calls and in face-to-face meetings. The quality of their work was outstanding. They let us review the site before it went live, and they were very accommodating to any changes we requested. It was a seamless process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed with how quickly they grasped and executed our concept. The entire project was only several months.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Honestly, I have no complaints. There wasn’t a single bump or delay.