Neon Rain Interactive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I was the digital marketing manager at Mile High United Way, which is a community nonprofit based in Denver, Colorado.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neon Rain?

We had an outdated website that was bulky and had too much content. It had poor usability and navigation and was built on a platform with a difficult CMS to work with. Aesthetically, the website looked outdated and we needed a new site that would be able to tell the evolving story of Mile High United Way, and our relevance. I also wanted a site that was user-friendly and responsive. Various features needed to be improved, including the forms, the way people submit donations, among others. Our old website was not a useful tool for the organization or an effective platform for communicating our message.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked with a web designer unaffiliated with the Neon Rain team, the layout, and some initial user interface ideas. Then, with Neon Rain, we worked on the development. We had to figure out a number of complex aspects. Segmentation was one piece, and then there were also various submission forms, and the process for collecting data. We needed Neon Rain’s insight and help on how to make it easier and better.

We needed a very accessible site that still had a lot of content, but also pages with good functionality and dynamic content that we wouldn’t need to constantly update. It was not meant to be very interactive, but we definitely wanted it to be more than a brochure site. We needed it to deliver information in the most efficient and effective way possible. We also needed to include a list of all of our non-profit partners that we work with, and a way for users to sort through it quickly on the site.  

While the collaboration was three and a half years ago now, I just remember that the complexities for the coding behind one feature was impressive. Whatever the task, Neon Rain never responded, “That’s not possible.” They also tried to find a solution.

How did you come to work with Neon Rain?

We put out an RFP, and I went through 15 to 20 proposals. Their philosophy on web development, concerning agile development and continual delivery, appealed to me. They are also very good at involving the client in the process. Overall, their proposal was very impressive.

Second, when I sat down to meet with them, they knew what they were talking about. They were very confident that they could do what we needed them to do. They were incredibly personable and really listening to the issues that we were facing and what we needed the site to do. It wasn’t just their business development person, but their developers that we were talking to. After that meeting, I was convinced, and even after meeting with four or five other potential vendors, everybody on my team unanimously agreed that Neon Rain would be right for the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them February of 2014 and the launch of the website was in April.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It drastically impacted the performance of the site. Our SEO went through the roof. Our traffic and time on page also increased. We received fantastic feedback from our internal staff, volunteers, community partners, and other nonprofits. The site was much more navigable and user-friendly. Some of the content architecture changes that we made a huge difference for our diverse audience. The site needed to address the multiple different audiences that we serve.    

How did Neon Rain perform from a project management standpoint?

Fantastic. They get back to you fast. The average response time from them at any point during ongoing projects was, at max, 30 minutes. They would respond with an answer to my question, a recommendation, or just to say, “Hey, we’re looking at it. We’ll let you know as soon as we can.” Their level of communication was top notch, and they were very proactive. I never felt like I didn’t know where we stood or where they were in the process, even for areas we weren’t super involved in. Because they are close by, we actually met each other in person a number of times.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The insight they bring as developers. They give their strategic input on projects and contemplate different ways of doing things. They provide an expertise from a developers’ side that matches with the strategy and the goals that you have for the project.

With the other development firms that I’ve worked with, I’ve laid out my goals, and then the developers respond, "Well, how do you want to do it?" In contrast, Neon Rain immediately understood my goals. In other words, they not only bring development expertise, but also a strategy to help you achieve your goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If there are any improvements they need to make, they are miniscule in comparison.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of communications for a government county. Our residential population is nearly 500,000, and our organization has 2,000 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neon Rain Interactive?

Most government websites are off-the-shelf products, lacking the ability to customize or add sub-sites off the same CMS. Our communications department was relatively new at the time, and we were trying to centralize our workflow. We wanted to be able to manage the county social media and digital assets at once, which involved multiple websites.

The decision making factor, for us, was finding a vendor who could give us a customized CMS that would allow us to add these subsites, and also someone who would sustain a high level of customer service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially met with Neon Rain Interactive and had them look at our existing site so they could advise us on how to improve the CMS. Websites often become this great archive of many years worth of content, so Neon Rain advised us how to best streamline many of the existing assets we were trying to bring over. Basically, they told us what content was relevant and the best way to migrate it.

They also agreed to do site mapping and wireframing of the site, and were very courteous about working with our graphic designer. We liked our designer’s aesthetic, so we submitted an idea of what we wanted our site to look like to Neon Rain, and they did a fantastic job matching that for us. They asked a lot of questions during the process regarding UX, and everything that we requested, they were able to achieve. We were never confined to the normal parameters of other companies that make government websites.

Being able to handle e-commerce was something our previous site lacked, which was frustrating because we have five elected offices that use different vendors. System integration was also important to us, including the ability to upload functionalities and interactive maps that required different file types. The payment feature was the most important aspect, as well as integrating a lot of data we get from our field operators.

Now, we can begin putting together those comprehensive subsites, like an e-permit center, which will allow people to apply and pay for job site permits. People can look at maps we’ve created for projects in the area, including code compliance and complaints. Being in government requires a lot of different software packages that are used in different departments for various functions. Having the ability to plug all of those in and use the data to create pages, rather than link to another website, is something we didn’t have before.

We are working on multiple subsites currently, including one for the animal shelter and adoption center for humane purposes. The subsite for the county fair is already completed and running. We have a spaceport license that we’ll most likely get, so we’re trying to plan for that as well.

What is the team dynamic?

We have a really great team that brings both their humor and experience to the table. They’re really fun to work with, and they want to get you to a place where you’re happy with your site. We’ve kept our own spreadsheet of ongoing minor fixes, and at the time of launch, we had around 60-64 fixes which they scaled down to two within a week and a half. They were very responsive both during launch and in subsequent months, and made sure any issues were addressed within 24 hours. They were even nice enough to give us the rate that was agreed to, even though it had gone up $20 more an hour. They’ve been very fair and honest.

How did you come to work with Neon Rain Interactive?

We have an IT department here, so we liked the idea of having an open source, but that was not the only reason we wanted a Drupal based site, and we had WordPress folks that were high on this as well. We went with Neon Rain because as a government, we do go with a competitive bidding process through an RFP.

Neon Rain had produced work in a similar space for a school district, including subsites for each of the schools within that district. This was the same format and model we were seeking, and they are based in Colorado, so we have the benefit of being able to have face to face meetings if necessary.

How much have you invested with them?

The original contract was around $70,000, but there have been additional budget amendments to allow us to buy modules that we’ve needed for some of the subsites since then. We’re close to $100,000 now.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have the opposite of most sites because we want ours to be a place where people stay for only a few minutes instead of shopping around. We know we’re not TMZ or any sort of entertainment site. Our concern is ensuring our residents are able to visit our site, and within three clicks, deliver exactly what they are looking for. We like people to stay on our website for less than five minutes. The search functionality was very important to us, and we continue to get positive feedback from our residents who have told us it takes them to what they’re looking for more quickly.

We have also incorporated a lot of opportunities for residents to use online services to save them a trip to our location. Offices where we have introduced this system, including our DMV, have experienced shorter waiting times because people can pay for things online. We get plenty of good feedback from people because they are able to do their government business more efficiently due to both response times and mobility. Our previous site was lacking this mobile experience.

How did Neon Rain Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Knox [Lead Product Owner, Neon Rain Interactive] has been our project manager throughout the process, and he’s very responsive. He is professional and has an extensive background in the coding business. He’s more than just a project manager, and is willing to get his hands dirty if needed. If there’s a code push or something we need done, he has the expertise and is able to go inside the backend to manipulate it just as well as his team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is really good, and they have a great command of the platform due to their experience. It’s never a mystery with them, and they always know what we’re looking for. This, along with a strong effort to keep us informed, makes for a positive relationship. We understand we’re not their only client, but they still let us know how long something will take, and there’s always communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had an overall positive experience. I haven’t done a lot of projects like this, so I don’t have experience with more than a couple providers. However, I can say they are the best fit I’ve encountered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Rahim Nathoo, and I am the owner of an automotive repair shop specializing in transmissions. We have locations in Dallas and Plano, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neon Rain Interactive?

I was trying to get customers through the door and become more visible online. I also wanted a more customer-friendly website which detailed the services we provide, our financial options, and different information about vehicle diagnosis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Neon Rain Interactive designed and coded a new website, and handled my SEO. They came up with 90% of the keyword list, and I followed up with additional terms which I thought should be included. Neon Rain also produced the content on my site.

How did you come to work with Neon Rain Interactive?

I had worked with another provider in the past, who mainly provided pay-per-click services, and I was not seeing results. I have a personal relationship with Arif Gangji [Ownder, Neon Rain Interactive]. Based on what I knew about his character and his work, I felt I would get my money’s worth by choosing Neon Rain. He showed me his past work, as well as some work that was in progress, and I liked what I saw.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost has been $12,000 to $13,000 per location, so around $26,000 overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Neon Rain in 2009 or 2010. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have done a good job taking over the IT portion of the work, allowing me to focus on my business. It’s been a few years since they started, but I know that Neon Rain took the initial challenge and ran with it, doing everything by themselves.

Both of my stores come up within the first 2 search engine positions for their location name. The organic listings are right underneath Google Maps, so I know that Neon Rain is doing what they need to do. I have seen improvements in website traffic since working with Neon Rain.

I haven’t received any customer feedback, but I think that's because the site is easy to navigate. If there was a problem, they would have told me.

How did Neon Rain Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through phone calls, Skype, and email. They follow up once a month, to go over our numbers and results. The communication is great, and if I need something they get back to me in a matter of hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about their clients and want to make sure I’m doing well. If I have a slow week, I can call and inquire about any issues. Neon Rain will be on top of it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is a video production company working with a variety of clients. We have a green screen studio in Denver, Colorado. I’m the Owner and Vice President. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neon Rain?

We had a client that we were doing video for that needed a lot of website work and an app developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our client was a leading-edge video content company that needed a lot of work done on the backend of their website. Neon Rain did the design and all the backend work. They also created an app to be able to create, tag, label and upload video to the website using cell phones. It was a very collaborated effort. They were open to our feedback and let us know any issues they encountered.

How did you come to work with Neon Rain?

We had met the founder of Neon Rain many years ago when we did some video for his website. We searched for other companies and interviewed some but chose Neon Rain in the end because we had worked with them before.

How much have you invested with Neon Rain?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June 2016 and the work was completed in August 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The quality was unsurpassed. They communicated with us and had great design and technical ideas on how to do work around any issues.

How did Neon Rain perform from a project management standpoint?

They assigned one person who was our contact and the founder was always available if necessary. We knew him and valued his opinions. They did what they said they were going to do and got back to us when they said they would. They were everything we could ask for in a vendor. We communicated by email and in-person conversations.

What did you find most impressive about Neon Rain?

They seemed to care about keeping us updated which was refreshing. We’ve worked with other firms that want to do it their way whether you like it or not. Neon Rain was very communicative. They were very creative in coming up with different ideas if that’s what’s needed.

Are there any areas Neon Rain could improve?

No. Nothing negative comes to mind.