Atomic Smash

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is called Host, and we are an accommodations provider for students in the UK and Europe. We’ve been existence for 26 years, and my role is as the sales and comms manager of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atomic Smash?

We were with a different web agency who had branded us and created our initial website, but we wanted to find a new partner who could develop our website from there and advise us as to the right direction in which to advance the site’s capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided extensive changes to the WordPress website that we had in place, including a mix of both development and design elements. The majority of the changes were in the architecture of the site, but they provided entirely new design templates for certain pages so that we could really revitalize the look of the site as well.

Another element that they focused on was increasing the capability that we had as a company to go into the backend and make changes on our own. We now have about twice as much access as we did before, which has been a huge help.

What was the team composition?

When we first started partnering with them, we had Piers (Co-Founder) working alongside us, as well as a UX/UI specialist and three developers. Since then, it’s ranged from around 3–5 people, including a project manager and different developers depending on our needs.

How did you come to work with Atomic Smash?

I asked around with quite a few of my friends in the industry, along with my own research, and was able to narrow it down to Atomic Smash relatively quickly because of how highly everyone spoke of them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost is about just short of £50,000 at the moment (approximately $62,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We first met with them around June 2019, started work in September, and are continuing to work with them through today.

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

We’ve had really good feedback from everyone who has seen and interacted with the new site so far. I wish that we had found them five years ago instead of just one.

They’re a company that always works for their clients, and everything that they do is focused on making sure that you end up in the best scenario both short- and long-term with regard to the final product.

How did Atomic Smash perform from a project management standpoint?

The UK has obviously been locked down for the last few months, but up until then we were meeting with them in person once a month, as well as conducting phone calls, Skype and Zoom meetings, and things like that.

Everything has gone brilliantly overall, and even since the pandemic started, they have made incredible use of our Trello boards and online communications to supplement anything that we might have lost in the transition. The whole process is just incredibly transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quite a young team, and for a young team of professionals, they’re not only more professional than many teams much older than they are, but they’re extremely passionate about what they do as well.

They understand our goals, but they don’t push anything on us that serves the design more than commercial function, so all in all they are absolutely refreshing to work with. Everything that we do with them is straightforward, easy, and extremely beneficial.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t fault them for anything. They’re clearly in the relationship for the long-term, and it shows in all of the work that they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them, because the number of tasks and worries that they can completely take off of your shoulders if you do is immense. I’m incredibly glad that we found them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital editor at Little White Lies. We’re a print magazine that covers film and entertainment. We also have a website and a podcast. We also operate a creative agency.

What challenges were you trying to address with Atomic Smash?

We hired them for web development services. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our old website was run on WordPress. We’d tried to integrate an app with it a few years ago, but that messed up the backend quite a bit. We worked with Atomic Smash to develop a new website for us. They mostly focused on backend development but helped with organic SEO as well.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 people. 

How did you come to work with Atomic Smash?

We found them through one of the companies we worked with on the creative agency arm of our business. We wanted someone that could work within our budget since we’re a fairly small, independent publication. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in early-2017, and we launched the website in the fall of that same year. 

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

The website works really well. We’ve gotten good feedback from users, contributors, and our internal team. We ironed out a lot of the kinks prior to launch, and they’ve helped us continue to implement changes based on what we’re seeing about how people use the website. 

They’ve helped us add several new features since the website launch, including an article archive functionality. 

How did Atomic Smash perform from a project management standpoint?

They were personable and clear in their communication. They’re based in Bristol, and we’re in London, so we communicated over the phone and used Trello. We also met in person about once a month. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve continued to work together, and they’ve grown as a company which is great to see. Whenever a new team member joins, they introduce them to us. The work is delegated clearly; we always know who to go to for specific questions and issues. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think it’s been a mutually beneficial relationship. I don’t have any concerns or complaints. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

I was pretty inexperienced with using project management tools like Trello. I recommend making sure that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the tools they use so you can collaborate with them effectively.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the festival director and CEO of an LGBTQ+ community organization.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atomic Smash?

We needed a partner to build a new website. We had a site already in place that wasn’t as interactive and engaging as we wanted.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our new WordPress site. The team did all of the design, based on a logo and color scheme we were already using.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one project manager, and we also had contact with their design team.

How did you come to work with Atomic Smash?

I was involved in a career fair and met them there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $5,000 pounds (approximately $6,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project spanned February through October 2018.

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

We’re really happy with the site, and it looks like we need it to. Festival-goers have said the information is way more clearly presented and easy to access. They really listened to our feedback throughout the design process. The team truly implemented what we needed and wanted. Any bugs or problems we experienced were dealt with quickly.

How did Atomic Smash perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very good at project management. We used Trello and email for project management. I wasn’t used to using Trello so it was a bit of a challenge to get used to that process, but they handled things well. The team handled things very quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly understood that we’re a community organization comprised of volunteers. They valued the work we were doing and it came across to us.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t asked for this, but it would be nice to be able to analyze the new site versus the old one and see what the difference in hits is.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, they’ve been very proactive and engaging.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of FD Works. We provide finance business partnerships and finance outsourcing to small businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atomic Smash?

We wanted to do something a little bit different and needed a website that we were proud of and that could portray our personality. We tried building it with other people, and it fell flat on its face.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atomic Smash did a complete redesign of our website from scratch. Our last website was built on concrete5, which was good at first but became difficult to develop over time. We wanted the new site to be built on WordPress as a result, which Atomic Smash did.

What is the team composition?

We work with five of them. Piers (Co-Founder) is the project manager and a constant touchpoint throughout the process. We’ve also worked with other people such as Colin (Web Developer). It’s nice that we got to know the team that built our site.

How did you come to work with Atomic Smash?

Their name kept coming up among people we spoke to. It came up too many times to ignore.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £15,000 (approximately $18,700 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partner started three years ago. Atomic Smash is still working with us on a retainer.

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

We’ve gotten very good customer feedback that we have a fantastic site that looks clean. We use our site almost as a shopfront, and it’s worked very well. We want to make more changes in the future, such as to the homepage, and they encourage us to do that.

How did Atomic Smash perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized. They give us nudges to keep us on track and informed in a nice way. We don’t have a set timeline, but they’re always super responsive so I never had to chase them. For example, a few weeks ago, we had an issue with our contact form. Within an hour, they replied that they’ll take care of it, and it was resolved right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m a big fan of what Atomic Smash does. David (Co-Founder) and Piers are a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m not sure there’s anything. I’m really happy and thankful for what they’ve done for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be patient with their processes and journey. I was impatient upfront but in hindsight, what they did has been really important to achieve our end goals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the communications manager at an arts organization. We have a public program with exhibitions and events, and we’re also home to a community of artists and art students in our onsite studio.

What challenges were you trying to address with Atomic Smash?

We had a pretty poor website that was proving to be quite unacceptable for us to maintain. We also couldn’t migrate it to a new server, so we wanted to build a new site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a WordPress website for our business. They worked with us to develop wireframes and figure out how to best structure our website to make it more user friendly. They also created paper prototypes to help us map out the web pages which was helpful for us. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of about four people including a UX designer and several developers. Piers (Co-Founder) was our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Atomic Smash?

They used to be tenants in our building when they first started their business. They were familiar with our organization as a result, so we could hit the ground running. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $25,000 for the initial development. We’ve invested a bit more with them for ongoing maintenance. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the website from December 2017 – February 2019. 

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

Our site visits increased by about 40% in the first month. Our shop sales also doubled. We saw constant growth. We’re also using Google Ads more effectively now because our website is of higher quality. There’s overall more interest in our work. 

How did Atomic Smash perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is lovely and has a very human approach. I feel like our teams formed strong relationships, they felt like colleagues. We had regular meetings throughout the development process. They continue to check in frequently to make sure everything is going smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have their priorities right. Their experience working with nonprofits and arts organizations is impressive. They select clients whose missions they align with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. I wish we could’ve worked with them even more, but since we are a nonprofit, we had a strict budget. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Have your requirements ironed out in terms of your technical needs and who your user base is. This way they will be able to give you an accurate cost estimate and timeline for completion. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a visual production company focused on sport.

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

To create a simple advertorial website, to function as a contact point for prospective B2B clients.

How did you select Atomic Smash and what were the deciding factors?

I had worked with Atomic Smash previously and found them to be extremely professional, hardworking and diligent. They can execute to defined specifications promptly and on budget.

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

We had an initial meeting in order to discuss the goals of the project, followed by a second meeting to define the final brief. Then there were 2 rounds of wireframing and asset sign off. The project was then set to a beta site, where a final round of issues or feedback could be provided andrectified.

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

3 Project Manager Creative Designer Developer

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

Established a web presence for advertorial and contact information - achieved.

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

We had a weekly (if not more) meetings with the project manager and a fortnightly catch up with the full team. We had constant access to the work being carried out, via Trello and InVision. We were kept abreast of all progress and/or issue in real-time via email and telephone (if outside of meetings).

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

That they can deliver on time and on budget. That communication is open and friendly and they are very responsive if/when issues arise.

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

Not in this instance. The project was very much defined by us and Atomic Smash executed the brief superbly.