UPQODE

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a small branding design firm called Square One Design as a Creative Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Upqode to develop a Shopify website based on a theme that we designed/customized for our client.

SOLUTION

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

We found Upqode through reviewing their profile on Upwork.

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

I met with Valentin Pasecinic to discuss the project, answer any questions, and walk through the screen designs in detail. We then received a project proposal that we approved. All of our designs were handed off to development through Zeplin.

Upqode set up an ActiveCollab project to keep me involved and send me page links when ready to review. I could provide feedback until the page was approved. Once the project was completed they provided a GoogleDoc of site documentation that we reviewed all together with the client to answer any final questions before final site handoff. They answered all of our questions and updated the documentation accordingly.

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

I mostly had one point person that I worked with directly, Olha Biletska, who is a Digital Creator and Web Project Manager at Upqode. Through the ActiveCollab project I would be interacting with project developers regarding changes. The lead developer on that front was Pavlo Artyshuk and he was very accommodating.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site still needs to be populated but I can say that the visual design was executed almost flawless upon the first review. The Upqode team definitely pays attention to detail and is able to get final designs nearly perfect on the first try.

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

Upqode used ActiveCollab to track project tasks and give me transparency into their process. Olha would check in with me on a regular basis regarding reviews to make sure the project stayed on track.

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

Their attention to detail and execution of the development build was great. I had very minimal feedback when reviewing developed page designs and any revisions I did have were executed in a timely manner.

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

The only issue we ran into with the project was enabling the theme which was causing the site to be live to the public before it was ready to launch. Since I wasn't as familiar with Shopify and that enabling the theme would publish the site I was very surprised to see it was live.

I think just clearly communicating and educating clients on the implications of certain actions they might not be aware of so they have all the information they need to make an educated decision.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Casechek is a software company that automates the healthcare implant supply chain. I serve as the Senior Marketing Manager at the organization and worked directly with UPQODE in developing a new corporate website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired UPQODE to develop a new corporate website that fits with our new brand.

SOLUTION

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

UPQODE's experience in working with customers such as Casechek was what set them apart from the competition. Without any experience in-house, we needed an agency who could walk us through each step of the process and be our guiding light.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we met the project team. From there, we started building out each page's design and once the design was approved, the development work started. Along the way, we obtained customer illustrations and icons as well as a new style guide we can use for other marketing collaterals. We used Active Collab and Calendly to meet with UPQODE directly and the migration process via cloudways was a breez.

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

We worked closely with the project manager, Uliana and a few developers from time to time. Uliana was an INCREDIBLE project manager. She was always on top of all the moving pieces and was truly the voice of the customer when going back to meet with her developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website, which just went live two weeks ago, has already received tons of praise from our network. We're excited to continue to explore ways to optimize our new site!

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

We had weekly meetings with UPQODE as needed to discuss all the latest design updates, development progress, etc.

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

The most impressive feature of UPQODE is their outstanding customer support. We would be lost without Uliana and the development team in creating a website from scratch.

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

The transition from the sales process to active project was a bit bumpy. Sierra, our sales contact, had stated that she'd be apart of the project as another manager, however, when I would call her and ask questions in the beginning, I did not hear back from her. Also, Sierra communicated that the team was based out of Nashville and Austin, Texas. The team is in fact based out of Ukraine, which is not an issue whatsoever, just would have been nice to know that going into the project!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder and vice president for Fitride Labs - a start up in the health and fitness industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to create a lifestyle x e-com website that was clearly able to show the brand that we are whilst also being shopping friendly for consumers.

SOLUTION

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

We went through a rigorous process of looking at various developers within and outside India (Where the start up in based out of). We came through upqode during one of our searches and their experience, delivery timelines and willingness to work on this project were clear reasons why we ended up working with them.

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

The scope of work was to create a shopify customer website which included multiple things. Our homepage had an always playin video in the background and lots of animations through the website that made it look much better. The product pages were also customised based on our needs and look exactly like we intended it to be. The upqode team set up tasks in active collab and followed a strict schedule on timelines and deliverables to complete the project.

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

We have both co-founders helping us out on the project in addition to our key account manager and a couple of developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we still arent live with the start ups business activities, however offline feedback for the website has been on point. All things were delivered exactly as we had visualised. Post development training was excellent as well.

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

The team used active collab to schedule calls and the tool was updated with daily deliverables along with timelines. Automated emailing was set up too to ensure communication was seamless.

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

The experience of the team and speed to delivery was the extremely impressive. The website that was delivered has been very easy to update,

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

The team was brilliant in every aspect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

Our existing website needed a fresh look and branding. We were wanting a cleaner UI/UX and added capabilities for our website. It had to look good and also work for our growing needs

SOLUTION

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

We looked around and approached several companies before selecting UPQODE. They took the time to understand our needs and presented a very detailed scope of work and timeline. They were very good at communication and responsiveness.

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

All pages were designed in a very collaborative fashion, giving us full access to all the key design phrases.

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

We worked with a Project Manager who was excellent and very adept at handling all our requests. Other team members were very efficient as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall we are very happy with the look and feel of our site and its functionality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

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

Upqode is a great partner to work with, they are excellent at what they do.

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

Yes, there is always room to improve but we are very satisfied with our end product and to date, we continue to use them for our site maintenance. We are very happy with their work. We like the fact that we can trust them and build a long-term relationship for mutual benefit.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a full-service media company that harnesses the talent and reach of the industry’s most influential writers, online specialists, and editorial trendsetters.

We provide magazine-quality content services, digital strategy, editorial talent management, and media influencer programs customized for brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

UPQODE have redesigned and developed the main website and create a partner website for new customer engaged. Our old website was hideously and extremely slow. So we needed high website performance and search engine optimization for both websites.

SOLUTION

How did you select UPQODE and what were the deciding factors?

Professional discussing project details and efficient planning

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

Key details were discussed in the first step of our collaboration.

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

Mostly worked and coordinateed with the Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The designers and developers are true professionals. They understand your vision and make it a reality. Great to work with! Very efficient, precise, and handle the final details with ease. Will work with again.

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

During the effective planning all important points were discussed, further communication included discussion of current issues.

The progress of the project could be tracked using a special program Active Collab, which is very convenient. The project was completed on time and taking into account all requirements

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

They are a highly skilled and professional team.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of brand experience and public affairs for SAA, the Spondylitis Association of America. We’re the leading nonprofit that supports and advocates for a community of people impacted by spondylarthritis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UPQODE?

When I came into the organization, we used a platform that was too cumbersome and bulk for an organization of our size. It was also subscription-based at a high price point. It also wasn’t a platform that most folks use. We needed to migrate to a more universal platform, specifically WordPress, that better supported our needs as an organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UPQODE built a completely new WordPress site for us. They completed the design components too, creating the platform’s UX/UI. Their team implemented e-commerce features, which allowed us to receive donations. We’re a membership-based organization. They carried over the e-commerce functionality that enabled users to sign-up and renew memberships.

Previously, we had a static PDF of patient-recommended rheumatologists that we had to manually update. UPQODE created an interactive directory on our website.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with Maria (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with UPQODE?

We searched Clutch and found a list of website developers. We sent the RFP to 12–15 organizations. Based on the returned RFPs with bids, we narrowed our list and interviewed four companies. Following their presentation, we selected UPCODE.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in September 2019 and launched the website in March 2020. One of our departments requested additional requirements that led us into a phase two that ended in early July 2020. We also had them work on a form, which was completed later that month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They looked at the project in ways that we hadn’t considered. For example, we engage with parts of the community that may have difficulty accessing content. UPQODE addressed that in their presentation whereas other vendors that bid on the project didn’t.

We have a complex website that has specific needs. They managed all of our requirements and give us a platform that we like.

How did UPQODE perform from a project management standpoint?

They met deadlines and communicated well. Overall, their time management was good. Their development team was in Ukraine, which presented a challenge. If we reviewed a task, it could take an additional day before their team did the same.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good at what they do. It was a complex project, and there was fear in my organization about trying to navigate off of our original platform. UPQODE gave us what we needed, which was a user-friendly platform in line with our organization’s position.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was a hurdle to work across time zones. We had to spend more time proofreading the content. When working with an international vendor, those hurdles are expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I gave them glowing reviews because of the quality of their work. Again, our website was complex. Be specific and understand that you’ll work across different time zones.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a manager for a large company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UPQODE?

We never had a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UPQODE built our website from scratch. Their team managed front- and backend development as well as designed the platform’s UX/UI. They used a WordPress template to build the site.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with a project manager but also communicated with an account manager from time to time. Their team included developers who worked behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with UPQODE?

One of our project coordinators researched different web development companies. Among several others, she found UPQODE. We held interviews and talked with their team, which fit our requirements and budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little more than $5,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in late July 2019, and their team completed the development in April 2020. Right now, they’re maintaining the site.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They created a beautiful website that we love. The site functions to advertise a certain medical procedure, so I can’t speak to any traffic metrics. The website’s a place where we access our own referrals from people researching doctors for a specific procedure.

How did UPQODE perform from a project management standpoint?

UPQODE was communicative and patient with us, which was nice. Our project manager effectively kept the project on track. Due to our own delays, the project went longer than expected. There were also times when we made edits that resulted from a language barrier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness was their most impressive quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On occasion, their developers misunderstood our requests. They could confirm that their team received our feedback. We used a couple of different platforms to collaborate, so I can see how the details got lost.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I didn’t have the time needed to direct the project. If another company wants to hire them as a developer, have all the content ready beforehand and make sure there’s a person dedicated to answering their questions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Business Development Specialist at an online school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

Re-design & development of a WordPress site with an online store, website speed optimization.

What were your goals for this project?

We hired UPQODE for a complete redesign of our WordPress website, adding shop pages (WooCommerce development, implementation, and customization). Also, we wanted to increase website speed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online. We chose UPQODE because they gave a quick response to our request.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Nick and the team were extremely helpful in website re-design and developing an online store with a nice, professional look. They improved UI/UX design, configured our online store, provided technical SEO, and optimized our website speed. The team got to the bottom of what exactly I wanted to develop and his team finished the product in a timely manner. I would recommend using it again!

What was the team composition?

We worked with 3 persons: project manager, back-end and front-end developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the user-friendly design and e-commerce implementation, we have the opportunity to market our products and interact with customers online, which has boosted our sales for the first month.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

UPQODE provided very clear and transparent working process through to use special program software Active Collab

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quick response and professionality

Are there any areas for improvement?

Did not notice

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Project Control Coordinator at GameStop

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

UI/UX improvements for WordPress website

What were your goals for this project?

The website speed is slow, so we need to optimize our website UX including systems/products as a utility that needs to be usable and efficient at the same time.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Saw UPQODE`s projects on Behance and decided to use their services.

Describe the project in detail.

They are committed to their words, professional in their behavior. i.e. My job took them more than double of what they initially expected and proposed me in terms of timing and cost, but they completed to the End, maintaining the high level of quality, without asking additional for that. I strongly recommend them.

What was the team composition?

Personally I communicated only with the Project Manager because there was no reason to involve anyone else in discussing our project. All tasks were performed clearly and in accordance with our wishes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team fulfilled all requirements and provided high-quality services with extremely responsive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very transparent working process. I had the opportunity to see what tasks are currently active and who is working on them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

UPQODE provided great work in an efficient time. Very professionally!

Are there any areas for improvement?

All good! I have no negative remarks!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an officer at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

Update website.

What were your goals for this project?

Update website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Worked with them before.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They updated features and added functionality to our website.

What was the team composition?

Two people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a fantastic job.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Kept us up to date, and we had a constant feedback loop - A+.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Speed and communication along the way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.