RedTree Web Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of In The Kitchen a speciality kitchen store in Pittsburgh PA specializing in kitchenwares, gadgets, cookware, cutlery etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire RedTree Web Design, and what were your goals?

Develop an e commerce website

SOLUTION

How did you select RedTree Web Design and what were the deciding factors?

A vast search by our Marketing Team Director and desire to work with a local firm

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

At In The Kitchen we needed a website built quickly, efficiently, and economically. Redtree Web Design helped us develop our Website in the midst of a state-mandated store closure due to Covid.

The staff at Redtree worked quickly and developed a website that kept our store name and fine products in the public eye. Our inventory went up smoothly and represented our products in a beautiful way. Design integration was very helpful.

The staff of Redtree went above and beyond to help us recover. In The Kitchen would highly recommend Redtree Web Design, their services are vast and communication with them is extraordinary.

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

At least 4 maybe more

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website was up an running very quickly to help us recover some lost revenue during a time when we had to be closed to the general public.

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

Excellent at the scope of work, easy to work with and easy to communicate with

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

Hands on at all aspects, easy communication, got to speak directly to the person handling the integration.

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

Anything we needed or didn't understand was handled with one phone call.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a medical device supplier.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

We needed a new website with improved user experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RedTree Web Design rebuilt our website from scratch in WordPress. They handled the design and development while I made the content.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. Michelle (Project Manager, RedTree Web Design) was our project manager.

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?

I met Meesha (CEO & Founder, RedTree Web Design) at a networking event. After having several conversations with her, I felt like RedTree Web Design was a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from May until late summer in 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site serves as a point of validation for our customers to check that we are who we say we are. We’re not using it for lead generation—people should not be looking for medical equipment on Google!

We don’t use the site internally on a regular basis, but we’re happy with the look and functionality of it. 

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

RedTree Web Design was easy to work with. They guided us through the process and didn’t assume that I had the time or knowledge to do specific tasks. I appreciated that because I’m not particularly tech-savvy. It felt like they respected my time and investment in their requests. 

After an in-person meeting to kick off the project, we communicated via phone and email. RedTree Web Design turned everything around quickly, so I didn’t feel the need to monitor their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RedTree Web Design really took the time to figure our needs and what we were looking for. From there, they customized the experience and website to fit that. They didn’t take our information and plug it into a template; they had a personalized approach that captured our branding, message, and culture. 

Working in tech is usually a cold experience, but RedTree Web Design added a warm touch to it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were pretty happy with what they did. I’ve referred some people to RedTree Web Design as well.

Any advice for potential customers?

Trust what they say—they know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of industrial sales for RedTree Web Design. We sell equipment to the manufacturing and metals industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

We needed help getting our equipment for sale online so that we could advertise it to potential buyers. We weren’t happy with our web vendor at the time, so we turned to RedTree Web Design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RedTree Web Design took our existing WordPress website and modernized it. They improved the design and display of our inventory. The new inventory page uses filters and makes our options very clear to our buyers. This was one of the main features we wanted to be done, and it fits well with our new design.

What is team composition?

We worked with Meesha (CEO/Founder, RedTree Web Design), who was our main sales representative; Michelle (Project Manager, RedTree Web Design), who oversaw the whole project; and a lead designer.

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?

We had received a couple of referrals, but eventually, someone told us that RedTree Web Design was the place to go for WordPress websites. Meesha reached out right away and made the process very smooth. Before we received any charges, she helped us relocate our web services to RedTree Web Design and gave us a more efficient way to advertise and host the site. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from May until August 2019. RedTree Web Design actually beat our timeline for how fast we wanted the website to deploy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t seen real deals since the website went up, but we’re definitely hopeful for the future. We’re referring more people to the website to build our traffic. In the meantime, though, RedTree Web Design did a great job organizing the site and making it look good.

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We often spoke to either Michelle or Meesha, and they both did a great job at communicating and asking us for updates. Whenever we requested something from them, they usually got it done very quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication impressed me the most. RedTree Web Design had a plan from the beginning, which made a difference. We also periodically met in person to make sure that RedTree Web Design was delivering what we wanted. They were clear and efficient with everything they did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I thought the prices were high, but we definitely got what we paid for. RedTree Web Design told us what it would cost from the beginning, and they did a great job throughout the project.

Any advice for potential customers?

Go in with a plan. Tell RedTree Web Design what you want—I’m sure they’ll be able to do it or provide good alternatives if they can’t. We also saw excellent results when we let them do their design and run with it. Giving their team that freedom turned out well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of T.F. Campbell Co. We’re an authorized distributor of heating and air conditioning controls.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

As a single-location brick-and-mortar company, we realized that we needed to set up an e-commerce site to be competitive in our industry. We reached out to RedTree Web Design to develop our Shopify site and increase our market reach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

RedTree Web Design worked with us to establish our e-commerce store. Initially, we went through several discussions to understand how to go about the project. Meesha (Founder, RedTree Web Design) researched all of our options, weighing out the pros and cons of switching to Shopify versus expanding our existing WordPress site. 

Eventually, we determined that migrating to Shopify would be the best fit for a company of our size and budget. RedTree Web Design’s team embarked on a multi-phase project to build out the store, retaining our existing color scheme and logo while creating an entirely new design. 

The site went live spring of 2019, but we haven’t pushed out a full external launch yet. We are currently uploading and testing out the many manufacturers' lines we plan to sell online into our system. Red Tree populated the initial sample, and then provided us with the format to translate and upload the pricing, pictures, and specifications sheets into Shopify. In the future, we’ll have them integrate our QuickBooks account, which we use to manage our inventory and sales capabilities.

What is the team composition? 

I first worked with Meesha and Alicia (UX/UI Designer, RedTree Web Design) to create the site design from scratch. Together, we determined how we’d sell online and populate our pricing. As we moved into the launch, Michelle (Web Developer, RedTree Web Design) took the lead as tech support. We currently work with her. 

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?
I had actually worked with Meesha to revamp one of my previous sites while she was at another company. When she started RedTree Web Design, she reached out to us to explore our marketplace idea.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first engaged Meesha back in August 2015 to support our previous WordPress site. The Shopify project started in spring 2019, and the work is ongoing. We’ve since moved to an hourly basis with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we haven’t had a full external launch yet, we’ve already received a few orders, and the site itself looks very professional. Users and vendors definitely agree that it’s a well-done site, which has been beneficial.

As for the development process, RedTree Web Design has gone above and beyond what they’ve proposed. There are still some things that we have to do after the fact, but those are beyond the initial scope of work, and we’ve negotiated those.

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, we communicate through phone calls, emails, and in-person meetings. Meesha is very responsive. I’ve never felt like I was waiting to hear back from her. She always addresses me personally or through a member of her team.

In terms of managing the project, Meesha does a great job of leading discussions. If we’re getting off track or are unsure about a course of action, she reins us in to keep the action items in mind.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by their willingness to research and understand what we need to move forward. When we started, we really didn’t have a direction, but Meesha was able to figure it out and guide us through the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could be a bit more definition regarding our points of contact and how to best communicate with them. Other than that, they’ve done as we’ve asked and then some.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

A key part of their proposal was doing things in phases. It’s a nice way to work because it forces you to confirm that you’re satisfied with a current item before moving on. Making sure that those phases are as detailed and delineated as possible helps align expectations and avoids surprises.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an appointment setting firm for financial services and insurance industries. We've recently branched from that, and now set appointments for managed services and SaaS. I'm the vice president of operations and am in charge of our productivity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

We wanted a new look for our website and assistance with our expansion. Our previous site didn't allow us to move easily into those new verticals, and we needed help with positioning. The website had a lot of information, so we approached RedTree for a streamlined, modern approach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They met with us to understand our problems and brainstorm solutions. They listened, did their own research, and came back with ideas and examples to make sure they hit the mark. They ended with a call to action, which we wanted.

Most of their work focused on the redesign, but there was some background development to build forms and tie them into Salesforce, our CRM. The forms were created in Zapier.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three to four people. There were two up-front designers that we met with, but they also had a writer, and they recently added another person to the team.

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?

I met them through the writer we work with. He does a lot of our social media content, so we already had a relationship with him. When we spoke to him about redoing our website, he connected us with RedTree. We felt it was a good fit, and we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $10,000-$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in February 2018 and ended in August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have any metrics to share at this time, but we always have good feedback from the website. Users compliment the content and the look and feel, and the site is much easier to navigate.

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good. We had no complaints, and the whole team was great to work with. They were all very responsive through phone, email, or in person. We work in the same city, so face-to-face meetings were easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really took the time to understand our business. The solutions and suggestions they provided were unique to our issues, and they built the site around our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can't think of anything. They could be more consultative and integrate more with the teams they work for, but I understand that might not be realistic. That's a general comment, and not a critique of them specifically.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Share everything and be open with them. Don't be afraid to share even the tiniest details. They're adept, understanding, and good at finding solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

R1: We’re a public accounting firm in Pittsburgh with 40 employees. We mostly service post-secondary schools across the country. I'm the managing director of the firm.

R2: I’m a senior accountant at the firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

R1: Our website was outdated. We were becoming aware that as a professional service firm in today's age, our website is our storefront. It was a boarded-up storefront in a bad part of town before we got involved with RedTree.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: They’ve done both development and design tasks for our WordPress website. They incorporated the feel of the web site into the various menus, set up the style of various pages, redid the banners, and redid some of the stock photos we had on various pages. They also updated our bios and added ways for people to submit an RFP and subscribe to our newsletter. There were also landing pages that they did the nuts and bolts for, including crafting the call to action.  

R2: We had something of a layout initially in CCH (tax, accounting, and audit software). They sort of used that as the template, with a different page for each of our services that we provide. I would also say that they changed a lot of the layout and the mapping of each of the web pages, though.

Finally, they’ve been providing consulting services as to how to maximize our clicks and walk the best path to get clients and potential clients to see our content. Part of this is finding the best layout.

R1: Another part is doing SEO and reviewing our Hotjar details to see what content people are viewing, where their mouse is hovering, and how long they’re staying on the page.

What is the team composition?

R1: We started with Micha (Owner, RedTree Web Design) primarily, but we’ve also been working with Michelle (Project Manager) more recently in the last 8-12 months.

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design

R2: I went on Google and researched website developers in the Pittsburgh area, came up with four or five, and contacted them to get an idea as to what they do, the size of client they typically work with. They gave me a few examples of companies they’d worked with and I visited their websites to see what their look and feel was.

Then, we got pricing and all those detail from our discussions with Misha. She was very easy to work with from the get go and very personable. We decided overall that she was the best fit for our size and what we wanted.

What is the status of this engagement?

R1: We began in September 2016 and it's still ongoing.

How much have you invested with them?

R1: It's been about, $22,000–$23,000 at this point. We transitioned to a retainer model at the beginning of 2019 or the fourth quarter of 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: Our reputation in the industry has certainly increased. We're going to have one of our best years as far as revenue growth in 2019 compared to 2018, and 2018 was our biggest and most profitable year ever. High-level, we're doing much better at attracting prospects—the type of prospects that we want.

How did Red Tree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: They were great. They’ve met deadlines, and any delays in production came from us not responding quickly enough to proposals or requests from them to pick A or B. It’s the nature of the best as a public accounting firm to have times of the year where we're crushed from a work standpoint. I can't think of a time when they ever missed a deadline or didn't provide what they were supposed to.

R2: Mischa and Michelle have both been very proactive. We have a quarterly meeting with Red Tree and another vendor of ours, and Misha is very proactive in setting that up so we can all be on the same page and know exactly what our next steps will be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: From the beginning Misha was great to work with. She came out here to meet with us and really worked to understand who we are as a company and what we wanted to do. Then, she let that determine where she focused her time. They continuously check to see if what they’re doing lines up with what we want to have happen. Their strategic thinking in revisiting our concept has been very beneficial.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: I don't think so. I can't think of any time that we were disappointed with their product or service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R1: Take advantage of the partnership that RedTree is trying to establish. They’re looking to make an investment in understanding who you are as a company, but that takes some Dedication to blocking off time for brainstorming. It’s a back and forth and a two-way street with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Penn’s Corner, a farmer-owned cooperative. We sell farm’s products wholesale and to individual consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

We wanted to improve the navigation of our site to make it clearer and more informative, so we needed design support. However, we wanted to avoid bombarding people with too much information before they can get to the shopping section of our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RedTree Web Design helped us improve the data architecture and site layout of our site. They worked to improve the navigation of the platform and streamlined the connection between our two sites. To do this, they made changes to ensure users were aware they were transferring to our separate shopping site. 

What is the team composition?

Michelle (Project Manager, RedTree Web Design) and two others worked on the project. 

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?

RedTree Web Design came recommended to me from another local nonprofit that we engaged with. After we reached out to them, it seemed like a good fit. They understood what we needed to do within our smaller budget and were willing to work with us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from May–July 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we’re a smaller company, we don’t have any measured metrics, but we’re pleased with the results. Our users can find key information more easily, and the site looks better. The content is more streamlined than it was previously. 

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very organized, making their goal and timelines clear and easy to follow. They walked us through every stage in detail and incorporated my feedback, but the approach was still very streamlined. Considering the small scope of the project, it was a painless process and made use of everyone’s time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to quickly understand our goals stood out to me the most. Even though we had a small budget, they didn’t push us toward more expensive, complex ideas like other vendors might. Their team was willing to meet us where we were and work with us. As a type of intermediary between our customers and us, they were extremely helpful. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given the scope of the project, they accomplished what we asked, and we’re happy. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an understanding of your needs and wants before starting the engagement. It’s helpful if you bring their team at least an idea of your goals so they can begin. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of a wholesale flooring distributor servicing western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design?

We had an older website that was about 10 years old that needed to be updated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RedTree Web Design completely redesigned the site, implementing a new front- and backend and a new structure. They switched from an aging platform to WordPress. Initially, there was a fact-finding stage to determine what we needed, but, from a web development perspective, they started from ground zero and created the web pages and design. They built the site so we could make future changes, revisions, and edits on the platform, too. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three team members. Meesha (CEO, RedTree Web Design) was involved. Michelle (Project Manager, RedTree Web Design) did a lot of the design work. The third team member worked through the backend behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design?

Meesha worked for the company that designed our first site, and we stayed in touch over the years. When it came to redoing the site, she’d started her own company, and it was natural to employ her team.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $9,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in November 2018 and went live in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Many of our customers use the site every day, which is a success for us. Anecdotally, the president of one of our major vendors went through our platform and complimented our site. Because of the new site, he had a completely different impression of our company. Instead of looking outdated, we now look like an exciting, design-oriented company to our vendors.

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. Their team identified goals, met deadlines, and were very clear in communication when we needed to write certain content and provide materials. We worked with mutual deadlines and never had to chase them down. If there was anything we needed, they got back to us right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything ran so smoothly; it was a great project from start to finish. For example, one day when we had issues, they spent three hours fixing things my team couldn’t do. People say you don’t know a company’s character until they respond to a problem, and RedTree Web Design really stepped up. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to do some work during the development process. There’s certain content, photos, etc. that you need to provide to keep the project on track. If you’re going to engage with them, you must be prepared to keep your side of things on track. Make sure you dedicate enough time and resources to the project so you can really keep up with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the president and CEO of Partners in Medical Education, Inc. We are a graduate medical education accreditation consulting company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RedTree Web Design? 

We consulted with RedTree Web Design to completely redesign and optimize our website. We wanted to increase our branding and awareness. At the time, our current site wasn't well-structured or driving enough traffic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

RedTree Web Design completely redesigned our platform. We improved the content. They split our services into different categories and helping us improve our online store with better directional traffic for our education and consulting clients. The team added new pictures, colors, and fonts. 

The team helped optimize our content for search engines by making sure we were using the right keywords and phrases to improve our visibility.  At the basic level, they focused on SEO to increase our rankings for certain keywords and phrases and our overall placement. They used Google Analytics to track progress on our keyword strategy.

What is the team composition?  

How did you come to work with RedTree Web Design? 

I was referred by an executive business coach I used to work with several years ago. I visited their website and researched the other content and sites they had developed.  I really liked their style and it seemed easy to work with them.

How much have you invested with them? 

 We spent $25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

It took about four months to get through the whole process. We started working together in January 2019 and the website was live by March. From then on, they were just tweaking aspects and following up to check in for about a month or two after it had been completed, which I really appreciated about working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to see the impact they made when we looked at the results from Google Analytics.  Click through and open rates improved. We have more traffic to the specific pages we worked on together and added improved content to.

How did RedTree Web Design perform from a project management standpoint? 

Project management was excellent. RedTree Web Design made it very easy for us. They put everything in Google Drive so we could work on documents simultaneously. Whenever I made a change, they could already see it when they started collaborating. 

It was a seamless workflow. They handled the timeline very well. We made good progress and worked on each piece separately. 

They had the whole structure planned out from the beginning. We could easily follow the timeline to see what was happening and when it would be completed. They even allowed for additional time so we could follow up with any additional questions. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

RedTree Web Design's company structure and the ease of working with their team distinguishes them from other providers. I was impressed by their follow-through afterward. I felt like they always understood me, despite our niche industry.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I really don't have anything to critique. I couldn't have been happier with how everything turned out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be prepared to dedicate enough time to provide content when needed. That's all you'll have to do; RedTree Web Design will take it from there and handle the rest. You'll be in good hands with their team.