ALT Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the operations and brand manager at a market research and consultancy firm specializing in the IoT space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ALT Agency?

We transferred to working with ALT Agency when the web developers we had been working with started to focus more on hosting. The previous company we worked with bought out a hosting company, and we found they didn't have the resources needed to manage our web development project. We transferred our entire project to ALT Agency. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ALT Agency has helped us transfer our corporate website's hosting and redevelop it. The team has developed some elements of our site and created landing pages for specific projects and campaigns, some for internal projects and some for our end clients, each landing page with specific requirements. ALT Agency helps us match the forms we use for our dated content with the CRM system. 

ALT Agency is responsible for keeping our brand identity and picking up the project from where the last company left off. The team works with our internal graphic designer to create the site's design, and we're responsible for creating the site's content and initial design ideas. ALT Agency uses Gravity Forms and WordPress, which allows us to manage content. 

Additionally, ALT Agency has conducted a security audit and provided ongoing maintenance. ALT Agency continues to develop landing pages and manages our site's ongoing maintenance and security.

What is the team composition?

I work with Rehan (Senior Digital Project Manager) and Craig (Owner). I liaise with Rehan the most, and Craig only gets involved in the SEO and security work.

How did you come to work with ALT Agency?

Our graphic designer found ALT Agency online and put them forward as a good option for us to investigate.
How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $10,000–$15,000 on this project; however, I don't manage the project's invoices.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ALT Agency in March 2022, and our engagement is ongoing. We began having discussions with the team in November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ALT Agency supports us in maintaining a functional corporate site is functional. All the landing pages the team produces are for lead-generation purposes, and the fact that they generate leads is a sign of success. ALT Agency is flexible in collaborating with our team and works around how we deliver design and content work. Other developers had previously struggled with implementing our design ideas and content. 

How did ALT Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

ALT Agency stays on budget and delivers work on time or ahead of schedule. The team is clear regarding delivery times and is good at project management, which makes it easier for me to manage my team's expectations. We've never had unexpected costs or gone over budget. ALT Agency is good at prioritizing work because we've provided tight deadlines at times and asked for work at the last minute, and the team delivers on time even if the deadline is outside their normal delivery schedule.  

We communicate via video calls and primarily via emails to scope out requirements. We also have phone calls for urgent matters. The team is responsive, and I can drop a call or email whenever I want to discuss work. Other companies we worked with were closed to having conversations unless we were in the middle of a project and were harder to reach out to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ALT Agency is the first web development company I've worked with that makes me feel like we're the most important client they have. We've never felt lost among a massive queue of clients and had to wait for our turn. The team goes above and beyond our needs. That feels nice, and we have an excellent relationship with ALT Agency. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
We're still working on how we deliver design work and content to ALT Agency so they can use it effectively. Our aim is to reduce the number of change requests when we review deliverables. That is an ongoing process between the team and us; it's not really a criticism rather than something we're working on together. 

We need to get the work revised because we don't anticipate the team understanding them differently. I think that is a side effect of us emailing a lot and also our graphic designer not being familiar with web design; this is a communication issue we're sorting out. ALT Agency doesn't always communicate back when something of our design doesn't make sense, but I think that is because our design gets handed over directly to a developer. 

This is a minor issue, and everything else in the project has been great. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I suggest sitting down with ALT Agency and explaining what you want and then letting the team come back with a proposal to work it out. The team understands the project's limitations, and I suggest letting them make suggestions where possible rather than being too prescriptive. Allow them to give their input and make space for changing your views on how something could work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Hollington Medical

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Service and distribution of medical steam sterilisers and other equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Set up webshop
• Maintain website

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We hired Alt Agency to initially provide maintenance and upkeep for our business website.  It was running very slowly and had problems with various pages.  Craig and his team quickly resolved all the issues we faced and managed to get the site running at top performance.  Alt Agency now maintains the website so it is running smoothly and kept up to date with anything it may require.

We had a secondary project of setting up a webstore as our business needs developed.  This was handed to Craig and was delivered exactly how we hoped it would be.  The store looks professional, works well, is easy to navigate and provides a number of different payment options to help our customers purchase our products in the best way that suits them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have a daily flow of traffic through the website and webstore which make it through unhindered and is only increasing.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The communication was very clear and timescales had been provided for each task assigned.  A couple of small delays have occured but these are nothing that impacted the timescales we had set for our side of the plan.  The delays we came up against we're explained clearly and new reasonable timescales were given to account for this.

Craig and his team are very responsive and get back to any questions quickly.

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their communication and attention to detail are impressive.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Graphic Designer of fossLED

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

fossLED provides Architectural and Commercial Lighting Solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Website Improvements
• New Wordpress Website
• SEO

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

As a growing business we needed a completly new website which will grow with us. So together we have developed a wordpress site which holds the detail of all our products and services. We also wanted to increase our exposure so have invested in SEO. We are currently in the process of further refining and improving the site including product filtering, searching and a moodboard to showcase our products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have a live operational website which is vast improvement on supporting the companies day to day functions.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Projects like this have a lot of moving parts and has required dedicated work from ALT Agency. They have managed the project professionally and always respond and complete actions on time.

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

I’m impressed with their flexibility to meet a changing scope through the project.

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

I am being picky but perhaps being more thorough in making sure design elements are as desired on the first revision.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of Revive! UK Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Revive! offers a mobile service for minor bodywork and alloy wheel damage. We serve the general public and car dealerships, as well as fleet, lease and insurance companies.

Specialising in SMART repairs since 2004, Revive! and its directors have extensive experience in the field.

As the first SMART repair company to be involved with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), Revive! have the largest network of accredited repairers across the country. We have worked with the IMI to develop the cosmetic repair accreditation – the definitive standard for professional SMART repairers in the UK.

We have combined expert knowledge with a pioneering spirit and strong values to bring a superior car repair service to customers nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Carry out monthly maintenance of our WordPress websites
• Support with adhoc tasks linked to improving website performance

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Moved over our monthly website maintenance package to Alt Agency back in April 2023. Wanted monthy support in updating all plugins across the three Wordpress websites we have to help reduce any security risks. 

As well as this, Alt support with adhoc improvements we'd like making to our websites. For example, adding cookie banners, restructuring pages, supporting with 302 redirects etc. 

Alt are always on hand to give great advice and never question the challenge of any new developments we send their way! They are clear experts in their field and we really value their help in making sure our three websites are performing well and plugins are updated monthly. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Plugins are updated monthly
• Monthly meetings are scheduled in to dicuss projects and tasks for each month

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Very responsive team.
• Always happy to jump on virtual video call to discuss things in more detail. 
• At the start of any task / project, ALT will always outline cost & time needed to deliver
• Realistic timeframes are given to manage expectations

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

Virtual Meeting

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

• Technical knowledge
• They value the work we give them 
• Care about our company / us as clients and seeing results
• Responsive and no question is a silly question!

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

Can't think of any!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Skillbox

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Online Skills Marketplace supporting UK Buyers and Sellers of all varieties of Skills and Services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Website Design and Development

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Referral

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

ALT were hired for a full web design and development project to launch a new UK Online Skills Marketplace.  This required a team experienced in creative design, detailed technical knowledge and an expansive network of resources.  
They successfully tackled the complex requirements of an online marketplace platform, including integrating with a specialist payment services provider and navigating the increasing regulatory requirements.  Deliverables also included advisory services and partnership referrals.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

ALT Agency delivered an impressive platform that surpassed our expectations both aesthetically and operationally.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

This was a very complicated project that was a few years in the making.  The strength of ALT is in their account management which is personable, responsive and agile.  They will always find a solution to respond to requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The most impressive thing about ALT, apart from their quality of work, is that you feel important to them.  You're not on a long list of clients that they'll get to eventually.  It always feel like you're top of the list and the working relationship is very 'human'.  When you're launching a tech startup, I can't emphasise enough how important (and rare) that is.

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

ALT's strengths most certainly outweigh the development areas.  If I had to pick one area for improvement, I would say that more comprehensive testing (post development) would be hugely beneficial.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a technical advisor for Effective Business Management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ALT Agency?

We originally reached out to ALT Agency to tender for work for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've used ALT Agency to develop websites for our own customers. They've successfully built websites for our customers on two occasions, and they've continued to support those websites from there on. Initially, we provided them with detailed specifications for the websites. After that, they produced the designs and reviewed the final specifications with us. As for the technology stack, they've used Laravel. In addition to web development, I know that they also provide PPC services.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with two teammates from ALT Agency: Craig (Owner & Director) and Rehan (Senior Digital Project Manager).

How did you come to work with ALT Agency?

We found them online.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $30,000–$40,000 per project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The websites created by ALT Agency have been well received by the customers, and one of the websites has been running since it was created. Our first customer was actually a charity. ALT Agency has made a number of changes and provided maintenance to that website as a gesture of goodwill towards the charity. In fact, they've produced two or three different versions of the website since its launch.

How did ALT Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

ALT Agency has stayed within budget. Even when we ask for extra features, they don't charge any extra, which is good. The project has been managed very well by Rehan, and it has been good to have one main point of contact instead of having contact with a large amount of people. Rehan has provided us with updates as the projects proceed.

We wanted to launch the website for the charity at a conference. Therefore, there was a lot of pressure on ALT Agency to launch it. The team was able to launch the website on time for the conference.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I would like to give a shout-out to Rehan, who has managed the entire process for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ALT Agency has been very flexible when we've needed to change specifications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything ALT Agency could improve on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure to use their expertise and don't be too prescriptive about what you ask from them. Let them use their expertise and guide you towards great results that'll suit your needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Creative Director of Videoplugger

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Produce, Licence and distribute short and longform content 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Create a great website
• get more clicks
• get a safer more updated security

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

ALT design helped us create a great looking website from the previous aged one we had back in 2019. They were brilliant in setting us up with what we needed to provide them and they were very good to work with, they provided us with a customised wordpress website from a template and then tweaked, mobile ready with responsive code. And as a after care they have taken care of our security and updating our firewall and spam controls. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Yes we love our website and its a tool we use daily and it is our shopwindow to our clients so we are very happy and the progress or success rate is in the fact we have grown as a company since 2019.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Always on time very organised and if there was anything we wanted changed or tweaked that was done quickly.

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with their great communication, good price range, and ability to adapt to different business needs.

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

They could have made some things a bit cheaper maybe.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a think tank for the financial services industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ALT Agency?

We hired ALT Agency to rebrand our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ALT Agency mostly helped us with web design, although the project required a bit of web development work. Their main task was reworking our website's structure. The team focused on redesigning our landing page's core structure and technology. They added some features to it as well, such as links to other pages or to downloadable content.

ALT Agency also replaced some of the photos, videos, and media images our website already had with other images we preferred. Moreover, they both added and removed a variety of tabs on the website to make it more applicable and appropriate to what we wanted to achieve. Our website's key technology was WordPress.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Anirudh (Scrum Master, Agile Project Manager), who was in charge of all the design work. I was also in contact with Craig (Owner & Director), with whom I initially engaged. He was in charge of the relationship management and invoicing.

How did you come to work with ALT Agency?

Originally, I was put in touch with someone I already knew, but they focused on bespoke website design. We didn't want to redevelop our website from scratch, so I thought it would be easier to get in contact who knew WordPress really well so that they could change what we wanted to change. Therefore, I did a Google search, and ALT Agency came up quite highly rated.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around £2,500 (approximately $3,100 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged with ALT Agency around September 2023, although the onboarding meeting was around November 2023. The project was completed in January 2024. Still, I can email them if I have issues with the website. Additionally, if I wanted them to manage the site on an ongoing basis, they could also offer those services as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ATL Agency understood our brief and what we were trying to achieve, and the changes that we explicitly mentioned actually happened. Although what we wanted to achieve could have taken a couple of iterations, ALT Agency was very quick and got it right away. They also made suggestions and pointed us to various websites to see their designs, which was very useful.

Another thing that ALT Agency did that was useful was that they recorded a training session. Once they completed the project, they took me through said training session to show me how to update the website. Their training was very high-level and a very generous offering.

How did ALT Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

ALT Agency was very responsive. They responded to our queries within an hour, if not quicker. We communicated via Zoom and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ALT Agency knows WordPress really well. We wanted pretty simple changes to our WordPress website, and they were very efficient. They knew exactly what to do and how much time it would take to do it, and they were very explicit about that. Overall, they were a very efficient team, and it was obvious that they had a lot of practice and experience doing their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, ALT Agency was very good. If anything, I thought that email wasn't the best way to share prototype designs. We had Zoom calls to go through the designs, which they shared via email. Those designs were screenshots of the site, so we shared screenshots back and forth to show them how we wanted things to look.

However, it would have been better if they had put the designs into a document, such as a PDF file, to present them. Sometimes, images can get lost or come out funny via email. However, that approach worked well for us because we didn't need big changes. Maybe, they do create documents when changes are bigger.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It's helpful to know what you want in advance, but be open-minded to their suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the PUBLISHER of EVA International Media

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an publications of four aviation magazine series

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ALT Agency to accomplish?

• Develop our four websites
• Migrate the data from existing website to new website on a new server
• To help successful launch the websites

SOLUTION

How did you find ALT Agency?

Referral

Why did you select ALT Agency over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from ALT Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our collaboration with ATL Agency for the development of our four websites was outstanding. They meticulously planned and executed every aspect of the project, from initial consultations to final deployment. ATL Agency's custom designs perfectly captured our brand identity, while their responsive and scalable development ensured seamless user experiences across devices. 

They followed our final design concepts well, ensuring that our vision was brought to life effectively. Additionally, they integrated advanced features and provided thorough testing, delivering reliable and feature-rich websites within the agreed timelines. Their ongoing support and commitment to excellence make them our go-to partner for all web development needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The measurable outcomes indicating progress and success in our project became evident with the completion and testing of our first prototype. This crucial stage not only validated the functionality according to our specifications but also provided valuable insights through user feedback. 

Prompt identification and resolution of issues showcased the efficiency of the development process, ensuring adherence to timelines. Witnessing our ideas come to life instilled confidence in the project's direction and underscored our satisfaction with the progress made.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management was commendable, characterized by effective communication and timely delivery of items. Despite encountering difficulties with third-party server issues that delayed the launch beyond the penciled date, they handled the situation adeptly. Throughout the process, they remained responsive to our needs, addressing concerns promptly and adapting to unforeseen challenges. 

Despite the delay, they managed the project well, ensuring that the launch occurred just a few days later. Their proactive approach and ability to navigate obstacles reflect their commitment to delivering a successful outcome.

What was your primary form of communication with ALT Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What stood out most about this company was their unwavering willingness to assist with revisions or changes and their openness to sharing ideas to better tackle unforeseen issues. Their collaborative approach fostered a dynamic working relationship where feedback was valued, and solutions were explored together. 

Whether it was refining design elements or addressing unexpected challenges, they consistently demonstrated a proactive attitude and a commitment to finding the best possible outcome. This level of dedication to client satisfaction and problem-solving made them a truly exceptional partner throughout the project.

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

While ATL Agency provided excellent service overall, there are a few areas where they could improve. Firstly, enhancing the website's editability would be beneficial. Currently, certain elements require developer intervention for changes, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming. It would be advantageous if more elements could be easily edited directly from the front end, empowering users to make updates independently. 

Additionally, addressing the issues with the WordPress multisite login functionality is essential. The login system did not function as expected, potentially causing inconvenience for users and impacting the website's usability. Ensuring seamless functionality of such critical features is crucial for providing a positive user experience. 

By focusing on improving editability and resolving technical issues like the multisite login, ATL Agency can further enhance their service and deliver even greater value to their clients.