Laracle

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Planet Granite produces granite worktops from an in-house factory. We order the stone, give customers quotes, and then grind out the product. I’m the sales and marketing manager, helping with a lot of the online activities and incoming sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Laracle?

Laracle created a custom CRM solution that integrated with our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We hired Laracle to build an integrated CRM solution for us that could handle booking, quoting, and customer relations. Once a customer booked our services online, they’d select the stone type that they wanted, putting in any additional details such as the square meter of their kitchen, the dimensions of their worktops, and whether they needed holes for sinks. 

The system would then automatically give us a quote based on the price per square meter of granite. It’d also calculate how much the project would cost us in labor and resources. For example, some types of stone took longer to cut on our machines and would cost more. All of this information would be tracked in the CRM system, which we could then present to the customer as a quote.

The CRM also allowed us to see the customer’s name, IP address, date of contact, and if they used a referral link or came to our site through social media. By exporting our customers’ emails, we could then send them newsletters or input their emails into Facebook Pixel to track retargeting ads.

What is the team composition? 

There were three people: Aaron (Lead Developer), Jack (Creative Director), and Ryan (Managing Director). I mainly spoke with Jack while Aaron was the one who helped me with any technical issues.

How did you come to work with Laracle?

Jack is an old friend of mine, so I know him quite well. I pitched his company to my boss to create the CRM.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost about £18,000 (approximately $25,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The CRM development lasted from February–August 2020. They got it out of the way quite quickly for us, and we still do little tweaks here and there. We’ve been so happy with the CRM that we’re definitely going to be using them in the future. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing the CRM, everything’s been fantastic. Before, we were working off of pen and paper. The order would come into our inbox, and we’d manually enter the details into a small database. Then, we’d have to calculate the costs once a customer came in, which would obviously take forever.

Having the new CRM has worked out for us in terms of both speed and cost because the administrative need is gone. In essence, we’ve saved a whole year’s-worth of wages for an administrative staff member, so the system has paid for itself. It’s also reduced human errors, which has helped us ensure that we’re making as much profit as possible without being too expensive compared to our competitors. 

How did Laracle perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack and Monday.com. The latter is a project management tool where they kept all of their tasks and notes. When something was done, they’d mark it as complete. I could assign tasks to specific people as well — if there were something that I wanted to add, then I would write it in. Slack and Monday.com were linked together, so they would Slack me about anything that they were unsure of.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to the last developer we worked with, Laracle was a lot more lenient when it came to small changes. They’d obviously charge us if we were to ask for a new feature that wasn’t in the initial statement, but they were good about color changes and bug fixes. Any bug we found, they’d fix straight away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been plain sailing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a clear plan for what you want is helpful, though we’ve come to them with a problem before, and they’ve supplied us with a solution anyway.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the shop floor manager of an air compressor company, managing our day-to-day operations. We offer the supply and service of air compressors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Laracle?

We approached them to build our website and establish a CRM.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with the website build. They listed our air compressor and pipe products on the platform before building software to manage customer data. They integrated that CRM system. That way, we can track customer details such as invoice history, their last services with us, and what they’ve ordered. The system also logs any contact customers have with our sales reps. It’s cloud-based and mobile-responses, so our team can access it anywhere. 

They built the website using WordPress, and the CRM was built from scratch using Laravel and PHP. The CRM also provides reporting capabilities that allow us to track new sign-ups and contact form submissions. The website took 3–4 weeks to build, and the CRM took another four weeks to build.  

What is the team composition?

There were 3–4 people working on the project, including Ryan (Managing Director), a designer, and a developer. 

How did you come to work with Laracle?

We found them through a Google search for local web development companies. I spoke to Brian and thought they would be a good fit for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our website was about £10,000 (approximately $14,000 USD), and the CRM cost about £15,000 (approimately $21,000 USD). It was a £25,000 (approximatley $35,000 USD) project in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for about two months in the summer of 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with their work. Our main goal with the website was to create an online presence for our brand, and we’re already seeing new inquiries coming through the platform. The site improved our office organization massively. With our team working remotely due to the pandemic, it’s very helpful to be able to access our CRM via the cloud. Our team can review customers, notes, and sales remotely. That’s really helped us.  

How did Laracle perform from a project management standpoint?

Ryan was very helpful. It was great working with them, and we couldn’t have asked for more. They provided us with clear milestones and regularly updated us with their progression. During the process, they were also coming up with new ideas on how we could improve the CRM.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with them has been a great experience. Compared to the solutions we had before, what they provided us with is a million times better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been plain sailing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a go. We’ve had no troubles.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of an industrial tools company. We engineer and sell air tools, air compressors, and parts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our online presence wasn’t great. We initially approached them to update our website, but we quickly realized they could help us in a few other ways as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they just updated our information-based website and provided some SEO services. From there, they developed an e-commerce website that listed all of our products and allows users to select multiple products.

After that, they used PHP and Laravel to develop a cloud-based inventory management system that connects with our CRM and e-commerce website. They developed the wireframes, finalized the brief, designed the platform, and create a working prototype.

We can use barcodes assigned to each of our products to manage our stocks. The platform includes a reporting dashboard that displays how many products we sold in a given time period and what the most popular products were based on the barcodes we scan when a product is bought.  

What is the team composition?

I spoke primarily with Ryan (Managing Director), Jack (Creative Director), and a developer.

How did you come to work with Lacracle.com?

I worked with a partner that finds companies. I asked them for recommendations and they said they used Lacracle.com for a similar project in the past. Then I just did a Google search to find out more about them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £30,000 (approximately $42,000 USD) on the inventory project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything was great. I was really happy with the design and final product. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Anecdotally, our staff is very happy with how quickly we can process orders. Before this engagement, our process was very manual and wasn’t sustainable. With this system in place, we’ve been able to grow our business.

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

We did have a few in-person meetings, but with COVID-19, we’ve been doing everything online. We usually spoke directly with Ryan and he relayed information to the rest of the team.

They communicated with us regularly and were always on top of things. In addition to using Slack and Microsoft Teams to communicate, we held video calls and phone calls. They also used Monday and Trello to manage the project.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very organized and knowledgeable. They provided expert advice and explained different solutions for each of our problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any criticisms for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them to anybody. You should just give them a call and take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A D Keebles is a family run business, operating for over 30 years. We operate a removals and storage business covering the Warwickshire area. My role is as manager and driver.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We required a new website for our business that would allow potential customers to easily find out the services we provide and also have a system to quickly receive price estimates for our services.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal for the project was to have a sleek website that our customers could navigate easily and to also have a high google ranking within the area for our business sector.

SOLUTION

How did you select Laracle.com?

We decided on this company based on seeing their previous projects that had similar goals to our own. Upon seeing and reviewing their previous work. We knew that we had the right company to help us achieve all our aims within a given time, to minimise disruption to the business.

Describe the project in detail.

We had given the team various ideas and details that we knew we needed included in our website. After that the team were very self sufficient with the design and content of the web pages but we were kept up to date with all their latest ideas to ensure that we were happy with them. We were offered different designs to choose from in respect to Logo's and page design. But we trusted their experience within their field to give us the best possible website from the ideas they submitted to us.

What was the team composition?

We had one main member of their team (Jack) to liaise with throughout the whole project, which we liked as it was easier to have one person who knew the in's and out's of what we wanted to achieve. We felt this enabled us to have a more bespoke project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We as a company have enjoyed a great influx of business thanks to the work these guys put into the project. All our goals were successfully met which means we have a great website that increased the traffic onto our site. Our customers can now easily see every service we provide and we have the facility for them to access instant quotes which really helps to maximize our customer base.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was superb during the entirety of the project with a team member never more than a phone call away. We had the option to express ideas via phone calls, emails, and face to face should the need arise, which meant that no matter how busy we were we could still keep progressing with the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Overall, the final product was everything we wanted and more. The team really took our ideas and expanded on them with things we couldn't have possibly thought of ourselves. It really pays to let the experts do their thing to get the best results. I am also really happy with the after care that this company provides, as they are always willing to make adjustments to things on our website with short notice.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing of note.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product development manager at Caspin Journeys, a tour operator. We mainly run outdoor activities and tours across Italy, Spain, France, the UK, and Scotland. Our clientele is predominantly from the US and Canada. We also have clients from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. We’re a UK-based company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was very simple, and we wanted to update it and bring it up to speed. The main thing we wanted to do was automate a few processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a brief on the website design. We’re a family business, and we have an in-house graphic designer. We worked with her to get an idea of how we wanted the site to look and feel, as well as what message we wanted to get across to clients. We left it to Laracle to build the site for us. 

The automation we needed was mainly for the booking process. Previously, we just showed our tours on the website, and all of the booking was done through email. We sent the client a Word document, which they’d fill in and send back to us. Now, all of it is on the website. Clients can select the tour they want and input all of the details we need for confirmation. Then, we can send out the automatic deposit request.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with two people. Our main contact was Ryan (Managing Director). Most of the web development was done by Jack (Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Laracle.com?

I’ve known Ryan for a number of years, and this is the second company he runs in website and marketing. He’d done some marketing for us previously with his other company. I got in touch with them, and we got a few quotes. We decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2019–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The automation has reduced a lot of the emails and back-and-forth we had to do. It’s much easier from the client’s end as well. The response from the clients has been really good.

The site works well. We had to reschedule a lot of trips, and a lot of clients rebooked. That allowed us to try the new booking system, and it works well. There were a few tweaks in the beginning, but now it works as it’s supposed to.

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

We were in close communication the whole way through. We were quite demanding in terms of all the tweaks we wanted to make and how we wanted the site to look. If it wasn’t urgent, I sent them an email, and they were quick to reply. If it was urgent, I called them. The response was generally very quick.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was all good. They understood what we wanted, and they were flexible. We really wanted to get it right, and we went back-and-forth quite a few times with the layout and design. Their flexibility stood out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints. We were really happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of CG Content Marketing. We supply content and SEO solutions to individuals and businesses in the UK and around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our old website didn’t fit our brand and didn’t support conversions. The sales process was that clients would have to get in touch by phone or email. They would be put in touch with a sales representative to effectively make the sale. Then, contracts would be signed. We wanted a website that was updated, refreshed, and streamlined the sales process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Laracle redesigned our website to reinforce our brand. They also rebuilt the platform with important features. Using the website, clients can order packages, build custom quotes, and pay online. Their team implemented functions that enable clients to choose a word count, choose the number of articles needed, and directly pay for their orders.

What is the team composition?

I was in direct contact with two people from Laracle.

How did you come to work with Laracle.com?

We found Laracle through Google searches. We spoke to a few other agencies, but Ryan (Managing Director) handled our initial engagements well. At the end of the day, their price was competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid £14,000 pounds (approximately $18,000 USD) for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project with Laracle in January, and the engagement finished around May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I couldn’t be happier with the results of the engagement. The website functions exactly as required. The site’s features streamlined the sales process. As a result of the updated website, we can scale and grow our business without having to hire more sales representatives. On top of that, it’s a much more professional website. The branding’s on point and the functionality’s brilliant.

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

We mostly communicated via phone or email. Their team was responsive. When we called, we immediately connected with them. They also replied to emails within an hour at tops.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by how they conducted business. Their team was professional and approachable.

They were also efficient, which was a big plus. I worked with other companies that had large chains of command. Their responses weren’t timely. When we had an idea or request, Laracle was in touch within an hour. I loved their communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn’t an area of improvement for them. However, I would’ve liked to have met with them face-to-face.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an official VIP and Hospitality Ticketing partners with some of the major European football clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Club Wembley to name a few and plenty more. I am the Director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We created a bespoke booking platform for my hospitality business. We specialise in high value football hospitably packages and couldn't find a solution fit for purpose elsewhere so we engaged with laracle to create one.

SOLUTION

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

We hired laracle as they had experience in this sector and developed similar platforms before that looked really good. Deciding factors where previous experience, price for the project and overall quality they offered.

We also liked how they listened to us carefully and suggested some good features we hadn't though of.

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

We asked laracle to create a booking system we could use to sell our hospitality packages online. We needed to be able to send out emails with collection points for the tickets and instructions for gameday.

We are the official hospitality partners to some of the biggest football clubs in the world (Barcelona FC, Manchester City FC, FC Bayern Munich and many more) so the experience for our users had to be second to none. Technologies used where Laravel and Paypal.

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

I primarily worked with Ryan and Jack. Both directories I believe.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measurable outcomes - we have our own booking platform that is noticeably better than of our competitors. It's a great experience for our customers and very easy for us to manage too. Overall, we were very happy with the outcome and love our new system!

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

The tools we used for the project; Monday, this enabled us to keep a tack of what was going on and ask/answer any questions that came up. Ryan was very quick to help and come back to us.

Jack was also great and running through more technical aspects. The project was delivered within the timeline set at the start, which was a surprise but a very welcome one! 

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

Great communication throughout and they really knew their stuff when it came to the difficult technical challenges and how to overcome them.

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

Not particularly. I would maybe have prefered a little more communication in the design stage to iron out any details. These were corrected at the end of the project but I could have highlighted them from the start.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and owner of Orka Prints, a company that makes motivational and affirming prints.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Laracle?

I didn’t have much knowledge when it came to creating a website. I wanted a user-friendly website that reflected the playful but authentic identity that I was working hard to achieve.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Laracle developed my website and maintained the colors that I wanted. 

What is the team composition?

Ryan (Managing Director) and Jack (Creative Director) were my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with Laracle?

They’re based in Stratford, which is where I was based prior to the pandemic. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £8,000 (approximately $10,400 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2020, and we launched the website in June 2020. I know that I can reach out to them if I need anything.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is not too complicated, which is exactly what I wanted. I was very happy with the outcome. 

How did Laracle perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great, and I was really happy with their communication. I value open and honest communication, and they did that. I recommended Laracle to someone else as well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I didn’t have to work too hard to get things done. £8,000 was a lot to invest, especially since my business was quite young, so I didn’t want to have to put too much work into the project. Laracle took a lot of that pressure off my hands.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. I was really impressed. It was an easy and organic process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you’re looking for before going in. If you’re not too sure about what you want, Laracle will help you figure it out. Additionally, be open to their suggestions. I was very confident that they knew what they were talking about. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Shoot At Home. The nature of the business is centered around sports shooting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I needed their services in building a site that was eye-catching, professional, and easy to use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s typical for websites in our industry to be a bit lame, clunky, and difficult to navigate. I wanted something that’d be none of those. Laracle was tasked to make the platform visually interesting and easy to navigate.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Ryan (Managing Director).

How did you come to work with Laracle.com?

My daughter previously worked with Laracle, and she was very pleased with the service and end product. She knew I was wanting to build a new website so she recommended them to me. I thought Ryan was very personable and easy to work with in terms of setting up what I wanted from the site visually and with its mechanics.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested about £10,000 (approximately $13,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from April–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve received compliments and praise about the website and its visual design. It looks decent and performs well, especially in contrast to other websites in my sphere where the level of professionalism leaves a bit to be desired. The site represents us in a good light.

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

Ryan is very quick, prompt, and attentive. I’d often send him information with details and feedback, and he never made me feel like I was a challenge to work with. He was great. Despite not being tech-savvy, Ryan never made me feel foolish at all, which was very nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ryan must have done his homework because he knew and understood my market quickly. He had a good grasp and a great feel for what I was trying to achieve and who our customers are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s really useful to have an open dialogue to discuss things freely. Don’t be afraid to let them know if you don’t like an idea or concept. We brainstormed and bounced ideas off of each other. Embrace their service and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Be very clear about what you want to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a global IT recruitment agency based in the UK. I’m the director of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We engaged their assistance in executing a website redesign and SEO. We wanted to improve our google rankings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They focused on onsite SEO; they streamlined our website and implemented internal linking strategies. They improved our site speed and provided consulting on content generation. They got rid of the old code that was hindering our site’s efficiency. They also made our platform mobile-friendly.

What is the team composition?

I believe we worked with 2–3 teammates, which included an account manager.

How did you come to work with Laracle.com?

If I recall correctly, they were recommended to me by LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in October 2017 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw massive results, particularly on the SEO side. Thanks to their work, we went from an average of 1,500 unique site visitors to 25,000 in 18 months.

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

Communication was very smooth. They were easy to reach over the phone or by messenger.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always went over the hours we’d agreed on, but never tried to charge us more. Their honesty and diligence were very refreshing. They were also quick in their turnaround.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since I’m sure that they’re always trying to improve, I’m not really in a position to be giving them constructive criticism. I can’t really think of anything specific.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be concise and realistic with what you want. I think any agency would appreciate that.