Roketto

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a director of Ferguson Land Surveying & Geomatics Ltd. We offer legal land surveying services to the Okanagan Valley in BC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Roketto?

Our website was very old so we hired Roketto to design and build us a new website. We wanted a clean modern look for our website, as also wanted to include features such as a quote request form.

SOLUTION

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

We had heard about Roketto and their outstanding work, so we contacted them to get a proposal for our website. After seeing the quality of their work on previous projects and the creative design and marketing ideas they bring to the table, it was a no brainer to use Roketto.

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

Our first step was a high level meeting to discuss overall project objectives, the scope of work, and timelines. We were then asked to review and provide feedback on the website content map. which lays out the framework for the website. Then Roketto went to work on building a draft website for us to review. Throughout the process we had several meetings with the project manager (Jason) where we were able to provide our comments and requests.

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

We worked with two people directly. Ulf, a director and partner, and Jason the project manager. I believe there were at least two or three other people involved that we didn't really deal with directly, the content editor and website designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Roketto created a very clean and functional website that exceeded our expectations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager did a great job of updating us on the progress of the project, as well as providing us plenty of opportunities to provide our input and comments. The meetings were primary through Google Meet and a few conversations over the phone.

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

We were very impressed with the team at Roketto, and their ability to take our vision and turn it into reality. They had so many great creative design ideas that made our website stand out from our competitors. Roketto also has in house content writers/editors, which is a huge time saver for us not having to worry about writing our own content.

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

There were some delays with the initial communication for our request for a proposal, but other than that it was smooth sailing!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a SaaS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

They specialize in website design and development for SaaS technology companies, and we were just launching our product. We needed someone to get our website online for the launch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were hired to build a WordPress website for us. At the start of the process, they created a custom design and built upon it based on the feedback provided, and the samples they provided as SaaS website client work, and the content we wanted. The first version they showed us wasn’t very good, but they improved the design for the second demonstration.

Moving into development, they ended leveraging a WordPress theme that didn't seem to work well with the agreed upon design, taking them much longer to work with from a development perspective. This prevented them from implementing all the design ideas they created based on the theme’s limitations. Ultimately, they couldn't deliver in the budget they had scoped and asked for more money and more time. They never launched the website nor provided design files, but continued to charge us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ulf (Partner) and Jason (Project Manager) There was also a developer and a designer working on the site.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

They were a local, reputable company that provided references and many good SaaS WordPress website examples that looked similar what we were trying to achieve for our website launch.

How much have you invested with them?

They ended up billing us for approximately $9,000 CAD (approximately $7,000 USD) for no deliverables. We paid approximately $4,500 for the initial invoice, which was a deposit. Then after things started to derail on the project and they asked for more money for completing the work, we decided to part ways -- never giving us even a design file to take forward to work with another development agency.

After that, they continued to invoice for no work delivered and no files provided.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from about February–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

We don't have evidence to share as no website and no design files were ever delivered to us.

How did Roketto address the challenges that arose?

What they were presenting to us as work didn’t match their work samples. It was shocking how little effort that first draft seemed to show. We gave them a lot of feedback about the direction and the site’s we liked, but they didn’t take well to it. They took a lot of time to make something palatable and closer to our vision and the examples they showed.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We ended up having to shift our release date back, start over with a new agency, and build an entirely new site. On top of the financial cost, we invested a lot of time and energy in working through the site with Roketto I really hope other customers aren’t being treated this way, especially startups that aren’t revenue positive like we weren’t.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

I was initially impressed by their work examples, they seemed to have a good process for onboarding new customers, and how many startups they’d worked with.

In what specific areas can they improve?

In the beginning, the hand-off to the project manager wasn’t entirely done well. The project manager was probably trying to deliver what he thought the goal was, but what he delivered wasn’t close to what we envisioned or the examples we showed them.

As soon as we delivered feedback, they weren’t open and accepting of our direction as the client. This is always difficult to move through.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours

We went through our checklist of considering multiple vendors, getting quotes, and checking work samples, but it might have been best to meet the whole team we’d be working with.

Understand what the process will be like, as we didn’t realize they’d use a WordPress theme, causing much of the design work to be unusable. In general, ask questions to fully understand their process. Even though you make like their work examples, know that your site will be different.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on March 17, 2022.

Dear Client,

Firstly, thank you for your review. We set a high standard for ourselves and we’re so sorry to hear this was not met during your interaction with our business two years ago.

You indicated that our quality of work, effort, and openness are the primary reasons for your dissatisfaction. From our end, we have copies of high-end design work, time logs for 3x what was paid, and a clear record of going above and beyond the scope of work to try to meet your expectations(at no extra charge). Nevertheless, in the end, we were unable to do so.

As you can see from our other reviews, your situation was an exception. We are known for our high quality of work and for caring deeply about our clients. 

We can’t fix the past but I assure you we took many learnings from our time together and made significant improvements to our services.

Regardless, what we’ve learned and are doing today does not make up for the frustrations you had when working with our team. We genuinely want everyone we work with to have a great experience, and that wasn’t the case for you. For that, I want to provide my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone at Roketto. 

Thanks again for taking the time to share this review. We will use this as a reminder to make us better and to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Sincerely,

Ulf

Co-Founder and Partner at Roketto

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Sales & Marketing with Ringy CRM, a SAAS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Roketto, and what were your goals?

We needed a major overhaul to our website which was boring and blah to the say the least. We needed to start from the ground up with digital marketing and SEO efforts. Our goal was to have an amazing website, get an effective flow with digital ads, and increase our SEO presence. Essentially we needed a direct extension to our marketing team from professionals who knew what they were doing.

SOLUTION

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

Did an extensive search and interviews with multiple companies. Roketto from the first call was the clear cut choice. They knew what they were doing and were professional and extremely diligent in their game plan. They had outside-the-box ideas and clearly knew which route they wanted to take. Their entire team was involved and always kept us in the loop with plans and ideas. No brainer compared to the 5+ companies I interviewed.

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

We were very unorganized, sloppy, and frankly all over the place. Roketto and their team had us use multiple tools to ensure our success and clean up our processes, hubspot introduction was something they suggested and it has changed the game for us as far as tracking our KPIs and contacts. We had weekly meetings every week and still do to this day to go over timelines and current updates to SEO work such as blogs etc.

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

The entire team was involved, From the C-Level execs to the web designers to the copy writers, to the digital ad managers, everyone was involved and still are. It really is a true team effort.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went from generating 0 leads from digital ads and SEO to multiple leads every single day, consistently. Our leadflow based on their efforts has done a complete 180 and they've lead us through that entire process. They constantly make suggestions and are almost always spot on.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Its been amazing, I look forward to our weekly roundup calls. Always extremely efficient and are very easy to work with. Great group to work with every single team member provides value of some sort and they are always happy to help.

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

The way they actually care about your goals and listen to what you want if they don't agree, they professionally and respectfully make a suggestion. They are efficient and don't just look at you as a dollar sign. They truly believe your success is their success, therefore their clients best interest are always what matters. Very rare to find a company in this space with those type of values.

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

Absolutely not. This company is top notch. We LOVE Roketto.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for an engineering and manufacturing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

We needed a company to handle our AdWords campaigns for us. (There was somebody else who was managing it prior.) The business goal was to drive our lead generation. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our Google Ads campaigns. Originally, they helped us manage our analytics to get a feeling of our web traffic and the leads that were generated. They spent some time understanding the browser journey of the website. 

Over time, they’ve been consistently whittling down their methods and getting more and more focused. We typically have a monthly budget, and they try to get the most out of that budget. 

They help us to find not only keywords, terms, and phrases, but they also develop new campaigns. They’ve found other areas where we could benefit from our users’ search behavior. They’ve supported our expansion to alternative geographic markets. They’ve also helped us nail down our cost-per-acquisition by looking at different bidding models.

What is the team composition?

I’ve had direct contact with three people. I typically work one-on-one with Chris (Owner, Roketto). It’s really nice having a single point of contact.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

Roketto was hired prior to my arrival, so I’m not aware of the process.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $35,000, and $25,000 of that is for PPC management.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been fantastic. They’ve more than paid for the investment we made. When I look back to 2017 to now, our cost per acquisition from our leads went from around $100 to $55-$60. Some of the leads that they’ve brought in have been really great. 

Last year, they brought in leads where we generated around $5-$6 million from it. It sounds like a big number, but a single sale for us is around $500,000. 

Also, Roketto is very reliable.In the first 8-9 months that I was on the job, I didn’t have a lot of extra bandwidth to deal with Google Ads. But, I knew I could rely on Roketto for a certain amount of traffic and conversions every month. 

That really helped us get a lot of other things going in our marketing mix. It was invaluable to have a partner we could trust that could provide a reliable influx of conversions each month.  

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been a very good, collaborative situation. We’ve given them general goals, and they’ve been able to effectively manage the campaigns. I don’t have to worry about project management because Chris and I communicate well.

Chris and I typically have a biweekly meeting. He runs the agenda and gives me updates on the campaigns, which I have full access to. He gives me his feedback and makes recommendations. I’ll provide him feedback on things we’re seeing in the market or the direction we want to go. 

He takes my recommendations moving forward and gets the job done. I don’t have to worry about micromanaging—the work gets done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never gave up. Now we have more bandwidth and are working a lot closer with them, and it’s been great. It comes down to having a trusted and valuable partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have improved their recommendations to give us a little bit better idea of what potential returns would be. Otherwise, it’s been fairly smooth.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future customers should make sure they’re available to utilize them as a resource. 

They were able to take the ball and keep it rolling during the time that I wasn’t able to focus on marketing. But, in the last year, now having that opportunity to work closely with them has been valuable.

They’re a smart group of people. They know what they’re doing. You get back what you put in and more. It’s about making sure you’re able to give them the time to get the questions answered that they need. They’re good at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a retail furniture business that has two stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

I needed help managing our digital presence because I was doing everything.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implemented a comprehensive SEO plan for our website. They made sure that our headers have more words, do all of our blogging, and now they manage our sales campaigns. On the campaigns side, they provide all of our graphics, ads, e-blasts, and landing pages.

What is the team composition?

My point of contact is Chris (Managing Director, Roketto).

How did you come to work with Roketto?

Roketto was a referral through the company that built our website.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest approximately $7,500 per month between our two stores. We also have them on a monthly retainer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve grown our lists exponentially through their pop-up implementation. Just last month we had over 200 people sign up. Overall their strategy has been really successful.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized and we typically communicate via email. Chris and I also have a weekly phone standup.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re easy to work with. The monthly retainer program has worked really well for us, too. Anything we ask them to do, it gets done, even if it’s outside the original scope of work. Being a family business, we’re try to be more nimble in our approach to marketing; Roketto accommodates our needs and is really good about working with us to develop flexible solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t had many issues with them. The only thing that sticks out is that some of their copywriting efforts didn’t match our expectations, in terms of our blogging needs. I don’t think that’s representative of their company as a whole, though; as soon as we mentioned we didn’t like it, they put another copywriter on our account and things got exponentially better. They’re good at taking our feedback and making adjustments.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to build in flexible hours because it’s nice to be able to change your work schedule as needs shift. They plan their year out ahead of time too, but everything always changes so much. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I worked for an oil and gas services company that no longer exists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

We needed a new website. Ours was really old and hadn't been updated in 15 years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Roketto made us an entire new WordPress site. We provided the photos and they used our original content. They used Visual Composer for the layout. They added several calls to action on the site. They did a lot of SEO work on the backend with text and photos. When the company was sold and turned into a new company, they moved the URL to the new name. They had to make a whole new site and copy everything over.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a web developer. My initial contact was the owner.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

We found them through BDC. I chose them over three other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000 for the new site and then $1,500 to move it over to the new URL.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked on the website from September–December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The managers were really happy with the new site. We definitely saw improved SEO, such as better search rankings. We noticed an increase in traffic to the site when we were doing marketing efforts.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they were really good and professional. I liked the owner and the web developer, but we had problems with the project manager. She didn't listen to us in terms of the copy on the site. I sent her a Word document of everything we wanted, which she ignored. So then she had to redo a bunch of work and we lost two weeks of time. The company as a whole handled it well, and I know she doesn’t work there anymore.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re so responsive. I needed something changed quite recently. I sent them a message via the pop up box on to their website, and I heard back from the owner right away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn't suggest any improvements because they fixed the problems we had. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep the lines of communication open.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing coordinator working in conjunction with the sales department at BWS Manufacturing Ltd. We manufacture semi- and heavy-haul trailers for the transportation industry, distributing our products to dealerships across the U.S. and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

We’d been using the same basic website for a long time, now, and felt we needed a major upgrade. The site was difficult for customers to use, and our dealerships struggled to find the necessary information to conduct business. As a result, we approached Roketto to build a more interactive, user-friendly site as well as helping us better understand digital marketing strategies and tools.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Roketto’s team worked closely with us to create a new, updated site and transferred our legacy content into the platform. They then implemented an admin-end login specifically for our dealerships, which allowed dealers to access important information for day-to-day operations. This ranged from documents, photos, and product information to paperwork and training modules for sales staff.

Beyond creating an easy-to-navigate informational hub, we also wanted a way to collect key data from our users. They added a series of online forms that enabled us to review customer warranty issues, gather contact information from visitors for quotes, and point interested customers to specific dealerships.

Currently, Rokketo provides ongoing maintenance for our site. If we have a new tool or form that we want to upload, they’re always there to offer suggestions and help us meet our goals. We’ve recently started talking about inbound marketing strategies but haven’t gone too far into that. However, they’ve educated us about online marketing tools, demonstrating how Google AdWords can help advertise our business.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Jason (Technical Account Director, Roketto), who serves as the team lead. He’s been extremely helpful throughout the whole website build. Recently, I’ve also started working with Ulf (Inbound Marketing & Web Design, Roketto); he advises us on our marketing endeavors.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

We’d worked with a previous vendor that built our site but realized that they were more of a graphics company. This time, we wanted a company that was well versed in website builds in addition to understanding marketing techniques. We eventually heard about Roketto through Business Development Canada who recommended a few web designers and marketing firms to us. Of their suggestions, Roketto seemed like a really good fit. They had the right ideas and tools to promote our business, so we moved forward with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main site development and migration lasted from February–December 2017. We’re now starting to explore inbound marketing with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since its launch, the site has received several compliments for its design and layout. The visuals are particularly clean, and we appreciated how Roketto brought fresh ideas to the table. With the new features, we can now receive notifications when customers contact us via the site. We’re also able to use Google Analytics to track our number of visitors. This new information will play a key role in the next iteration of our site.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

As with any project, things can get a bit hectic between deadlines and the pressure to finish. The site did take longer than what Roketto initially projected, however, this was due to the sheer amount of content we wanted to migrate. Apart from that, they delivered exactly what we’d asked for and were easy to get a hold of the entire time.

They were quick to respond to our calls/emails and addressed any concerns that we had. This helped streamline the process because we could contact them whenever we needed. I also valued how down down-to-earth they were. We used Google Drive to share documents and tracked our emails using their project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s nice that they’re willing to work with our schedules. Our company is on the East Coast, and theirs is on the West, so there’s a bit of a time difference. However, they’ve been happy to accommodate us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't have any suggestions for improvements; they did a really good job overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Based on our own experience, it’s crucial to be upfront with the amount of information you plan to process. As I mentioned before, the build took a lot longer than we had anticipated, which was likely due to our lack of explanation about the volume of our content. Communicating openly with Roketto in the beginning would've given Roketto a chance to provide more accurate time estimates and make more realistic promises.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead UX/UI designer at Hyper Hippo Games. Our mid-sized company develops free-to-play mobile games, with Adventure Capitalist being our flagship product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

Our past website was driving new talent away, so we were desperate to fix the problem. We needed to find a talented developer who could build a clean, modern site that highlights our incredible company culture.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their primary objective was building a visually appealing WordPress site. I sent them a mock-up of the web design I created, and they developed the site according to our specifications. We wanted the new platform to be interactive, so they added animated user inputs and scroll transitions. Now that the website has launched, they work on site maintenance and service requests. The platform’s customizable features allow our team to make changes as well.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with their managing director and lead web developer.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

I’ve been following Roketto’s work for years and looking for an excuse to work with them. When the site upgrade was proposed, I went to our studio executives and requested Roketto for the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We signed a $10,000 contract.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started building the site in February 2018 and finished in March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m amazed at the impact their work has had on our business. We’re getting more applicants than ever before, so the new and improved site is fulfilling its purpose. We have another website for other departments, and it pales in comparison to the platform that Roketto built.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely professional, and they accommodated our needs. We thought our project would be interrupted after one of their developers resigned; fortunately, they managed to bring a replacement onboard immediately. Our teams kept frequent and transparent communication via Slack. Their team was always eager to provide solutions to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WordPress development is one of many areas where Roketto’s talent shines. The high-quality work they did on the backend gives us the freedom to customize the site, despite having little knowledge of the system. We also appreciate how self-sufficient they were throughout the project. We didn’t have to micromanage them or make revisions because they built everything to specification.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re happy with the work they produced for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Food for Fitness, a nutrition company that provides weight loss advice to people of all shapes and sizes. We’ve been around for about four years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

We wanted a new site that was more responsive, mobile-friendly, and would allow me to make edits myself. We were looking to include industry standard tools and an updated look and feel to keep people coming back to view our content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an initial call with the director and he fully understood where I was coming from. They came back to us with a proposal that fit our budget, satisfied our needs and met our time line. I sent them a few sketches on how I wanted it to look, and they led all aspects of design and development. They also made the site mobile-friendly. There were several opportunities for me to review progress, and we made a few changes along the way. They were very accommodating to some larger changes I wanted to make, and the result is a beautiful WordPress site that operates exactly how I want it to.

Some specific features include a unique homepage with more opt-ins for first-time visitors, displays that prioritize new content, and a news feed that shows all our different content in one place. Navigation is great, and since the launch, our mobile traffic has skyrocketed.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with Jason, our account director, but also worked with Maddie [Front End Developer, Roketto] over the course of the project. If I wanted any big changes, I would go with Jason, while I worked through smaller changes with Maddie. She’s fantastic, and we use her as a go-to for any site/design edits.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

A company in our industry released a new version of their site recently, and it was done by Roketto. I really like the way it turned out; the feel and functionality were exactly what I was looking for. I contacted several other suppliers as well, but Roketto’s cost structure was very competitive. Everything with Roketto just seemed right, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Just over $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March of 2017, and completed the initial project. We’ve continued to work with them on other projects since, including a big memberships site that just went live last month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the site went live in the end of September, we saw a 32% increase in traffic compared to months prior. We had a few issues with our server due to the spike in traffic, but Roketto reached out on my behalf and everything is working well now.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

Excellent. We didn’t have any delays, and they kept me updated on all aspects of the project. They also managed to adhere to their initial price quote. We communicated via Skype and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by the whole engagement. The design was great, communication was effective, and the project was affordable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we had no complaints at all.

Advice for potential customers?

If potential clients are sure to be very clear on what they want from the engagement, Roketto can certainly develop the idea into a reality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager and communications person at a distillery. We produce all our own spirits and sell them online as well.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Roketto?

We’ve been growing online with retail, so we wanted to have something that matched our demand. We had an existing website that wasn’t able to process the volume. We also wanted it to be more modern and more engaging. We realized that a lot of customers were coming to our website to buy as opposed to just find out about us. We wanted the site to be more interactive with our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with Roketto to discuss our idea, and they came up with a proposal. We ran through a couple things that we really wanted to see. From there, we had a few meetings about the project. Once we were comfortable with everything, we started phasing in the new website. They involved us along the way, which was really nice because we have a specific brand and look that we wanted to maintain. Whenever we had major updates or sneak peeks or things like that, we would get someone here to listen to our feedback. We showed them the themes we wanted, and they matched everything to our vision, even certain buttons or highlights. We wanted a 1930s-style Prohibition theme, and they added graphic design images to make it cohesive with our brand.

What are some features on this site that were not on your old website?

On our new website, online ordering is very different. We have a user account login system where people can build wish lists, get reminders of products in the cart, and look through recommended products. We also have a search ability for products in general. In the past, every product had an individual page, but now it’s all condensed onto a categories page, so it’s easy to maneuver through our lineup.

We also have a lot of video throughout the website to show the experience side of our business at individual locations. The interactivity and the engagement from the website are night and day from the static, old website.

How many resources have been assigned to your project?

We worked with the initial person we spoke to, as well as a project manager. I believe we had the main developer and another person helping with some of the sales, so I would say we had about 4 people involved.

How did you come to work with Roketto?

I know their team from living in the same city. We’re friends. Three years ago, before I even knew them, I approached them because I’d heard good things. At that time, we didn’t have the budget for a new website. I re-approached Roketto and asked them for a proposal, which we compared to 4 different companies’ proposals. We met with all these businesses, and Roketto definitely came through as the top option. We’d seen some of their portfolios, and they had worked for some similar companies and seemed like a great fit. The value for the cost compared to the other businesses was better.

How much have you invested with Roketto?

We got a good price that included all of the integrations. We had to get plugins that let us send shipped items through Canadian post. They also included social media feeds.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December of 2016, and we told them we wanted to launch the site in the spring. We slowed down the process because everything has to go through our family business. The site launched about 2 weeks ago, and it’s amazing. Roketto is still helping us with maintenance. They’ve shown me how to manage and use the site, and we’re hoping to do some SEO work with them later in the year. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People have said that they’ve seen the new website and really like it. We’re finding that people visit more product pages, and I think that’s because if you search for gin, other recommended products automatically pop up. In the past, I would’ve had to add a static link. Roketto also added an inquiry form, and we’ve had 20 in the last 2 weeks since it launched. That shows that people are spending more time on the site and finding that form on the experience page. It’s neat for us too because, in the past, we only heard from customers via phone or email. This way, we know which location they’re asking about through the form.

How did Roketto perform from a project management standpoint?

The main project manager met with me every 2–3 weeks. Towards the end, we met more frequently. He broke everything down, which was helpful. Roketto was easy to work with and seemed to be on top of everything. We gave them a deadline, and they came through. They handled all the management from their end.

What did you find most impressive about Roketto?

They broke things down for us, especially at the very beginning when we told them what we wanted. Even when they had to explain some complicated stuff, we didn’t feel lost. We really appreciated Roketto’s clear communication because we knew it was a big investment. They’re also a genuinely positive team to work with. We never had any issues or clashes in our meetings. They listened and took notes. They would follow-up right away and make sure that we hadn’t missed anything in the minutes.

Are there any areas Roketto could improve?

No, they exceeded our expectations. They came through for us aesthetically with the brand and matched what our distilleries look like with the online shop. When we saw the website for the first time, it was far better than anything we imagined.