BlueChannel, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of Jet Marketing. We're a boutique agency in Fort Collins, Colorado.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueChannel?

Our challenge was to find a web developer or partner to implement our ideas using web best practices. We also wanted to have a company that is knowledgeable, accessible, and had some longevity as far as their years in the business, because once we do this, we don't want to do it again. We want to have a partner for the long-term.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provide them with approved design files, which they then put into Wordpress templates. BlueChannel makes suggestions, especially when it comes to responsive design, stacking, and mobile applications. Then we start working on content.

Once we give the design plans to them, they take a big leap towards the development of the site. They really help us get everything in place and work with us through all those last minute details that take place before launch. They think about what you're going to need at the end, at the beginning of the process. We are on our fifth website in about six months.

We've been building from the ground up because some of those sites that we started with are pretty old at this point. We're scrapping them and starting over. They also help us with hosting the domain and pretty much everything except for email. They're certainly there for some planned training, and then for troubleshooting after that. They are super responsive.

They also provide us with some SEO keywords and things for content development. They really have become our go to partner and we appreciate them a lot.

What is the team dynamic?

I coordinate with five different people on different aspects. They have an SEO person and we usually have a project manager for every project. They seem to do a really good job of covering for each other; being in the loop enough on a project that if someone's on vacation, they don't have any loss of productivity or competence.

We do a lot of phone calls and emails or some sort of shared meeting system if we need to.

How did you come to work with BlueChannel?

My daughter lives in Steamboat, Colorado, which is where they were founded. We were talking about the challenge of finding dependable, available developers. She said, “Hey you might want to try these guys. They're really good.” She had BlueChannel do a website for the company that she works for.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, I would say between $40,000 - $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work in March of 2017 and it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I volunteer on the health advisory board and they had a grant for a new website, but it was way less than retail price. Because of all the work that I've done with them, BlueChannel agreed to do it for that amount because it was a good cause. That site has already launched and I've gotten great feedback on it. It's dependable on all platforms and browsers. They really went above and beyond to not only get it done on a low budget but on the deadline in order to get grant funding.

How did BlueChannel perform from a project management standpoint?

Really well. And if something doesn't go according to plan, they are always open to suggestions and working to improve their processes all the time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They speak in layman's terms, and I feel like they take a practical approach. They don't try to one-up you with nerdy, high-tech language. Sometimes I think developers make you feel like you're less knowledgeable by using that sort of language.

With BlueChannel, we have the same goal, which is to get the website up and working like the client expects. It's not about who's smarter than the other. They're very respectful and appreciative. I asked them to do an audit of our website and they did it in a very efficient manner and didn’t charge because of all the work we’ve sent their way. That's a rare thing in this space.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We say every day that we love BlueChannel.