Cantilever

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an awning company that’s a division of a larger textile manufacturer from Philadephia. We’ve been operating here for 146 years, specifically since 1874. I joined two years ago and I’m the marketing manager here. I run the marketing for all the divisions of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

The awning company just recently went through a bit of rebranding. The website and brand were brand new and we’re rolling a number of smaller awning companies that we bought into this new branding. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started from scratch. We wanted to make our platform user-friendly. Moreover, we wanted the site to feature our products and the products that our external stakeholders were interested in. The team proposed and designed graphic products, moving product selection onto the page to keep navigation fairly simple. They also built a product configurator for our flagship.

I wrote most of the content and they integrated it into the platform. Additionally, the team created new designs for the platform. They also played a large part in helping us figure out what to do with our branding. They crafted a brand new logo and came up with slogans for that, including placeholder slogans. Now, they’re set to create another website for one of our other divisions. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Ty (CEO) on the sales process. Then, once we signed on, I began to work with Raul (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

I probably looked through 400–500 agencies. I was mostly looking at the portfolios of the agencies in question and I tried to find ones that produced designs that really resonated with me. I also checked if their produced websites performed really well, and Cantilever was one of those companies. They were a real stretch for us budget-wise. 

I also found a couple of other agencies on Clutch that was in the $25,000–$30,000 range for this project. Meanwhile, Cantilever quoted $55,000–$80,000. It was obviously a large change, but I really liked what I saw on their portfolio and I highly appreciated my talks with their owner. In the end, we got approval to double our budget. 

I felt a lot more comfortable that they were going to hit the budget and schedule. When they showed me their project management system, I liked the workflow that they had for their team and I appreciated it because I come from an agency background myself.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just shy of $70,000. We asked them to put a hard cap on their budget for the website for $60,000, which ended up happening. However, we did a side project concerning branding and logo redesign which costs around $6,000–$7,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in July 2020, and it’s ongoing. We began our discovery phase at the beginning of August. 

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

It’s a little bit early for metrics, but we do have Google Analytics and Salesforce set up within the website. We’re definitely tracking our ROI and conversion rates. However, we didn’t have a very sophisticated tracking on our previous website, so it’s hard to know how exactly things improved. 

Despite that, it looks like we got a pretty big boost in conversion rate. In fact, we’re going to be signing another contract with them to do another website. 

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Basecamp quite a bit and that has worked pretty well. We also have a lot of phone calls, and they transcribe, record, and send the summary afterward. Overall, they have a fairly thorough project management system. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is my first venture into working outside my local area and I really wish I started to do it a lot earlier. I really looked nationwide for a partner and they’re scattered all over the nation, but finding Cantilever didn’t prove to be a challenge at all. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of any areas for improvement. It has been as smooth as you could reasonably expect a project to go.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of the discovery phase. In our case, once we got through that phase, the rest of the process just happened. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you’re on the same page as early because Cantilever moves quickly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a software platform for colleges and universities to help them recruit and enroll students. I’m a product manager, focused on rolling out new features and making any necessary enhancements. Typically, I’m working on UX, microcopy, and marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We hired them for some product design that we were initially hoping to do in-house. They’re helping us on a project-by-project basis.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first brought them in to help us redesign how we let users create segments for email campaigns and outreach. They approached the issues from both a technical and visual angle, identifying possibilities and constraints. Our email marketing modules and product ended up needing a major overhaul, so they helped us in that effort as well. After that, they aided us in creating a new, unique feature for our product that automates manual tasks with premade content and email designs. They helped with the interface that people will use to leverage this new feature. 

Most recently, they worked on another module that allows users to review their application for the university. We have multiple products, and they’ve pitched in on design and development for many of them. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ty (CEO), a UX team member, and others depending on the project’s need. 

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

Our CEO had worked with them in the past, so we were already familiar with some of their work. They seemed like a good fit based on his previous engagement.  

How much have you invested with them?

Each project ranges from $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since January 2020.

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

We just rolled out the redesign of our email marketing module and received tons of positive feedback from our clients, who say that the experience is streamlined and fresh. It’s been helping them create emails as easily as possible.  

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job meeting our goals and timelines while aligning with our looser schedule. Ty is great about providing us with regular weekly updates. When we have a new iteration ready, they’ll send us a video walkthrough of their progress. That’s been a huge time-saver. They can get the work done without a strict structure in place from us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of UX and the technical engineering involved in our product has helped them anticipate results. That’s been important as we strive to think ahead with our engineering resources. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been happy with their work. They work with us to make the best decisions for our users. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be collaborative and talk through your goals with them. Respect their expertise and trust that they understand the UX market landscape. They add real value to those looking to invest in an engaging UX.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the new business director at a branding agency. We specialize in everything surrounding the execution of a brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We handle website design and social media marketing. We don’t have the in-house resources to execute web development, so we outsource that function to Cantilever.

What was the scope of their involvement?

My team designed a new website for our third-party client and sent Cantilever wireframes, in an iterative fashion, for them to execute. They consulted with us on both design and functionality. We provided them with examples of site modules that impressed us, and they would also come up with suggestions for our “wow” factor. They then took the final design mockups and implemented them.

What is the team composition?

Ty (CEO & Founder) was my main point of contact, but I also worked with Raul (Project Manager) and Brian (Hybrid Developer & Designer). I interfaced briefly with Nikki (Director of Operations) as well.

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

We had other web developers that we’ve worked with in the years past but hadn’t found the right fit. We were given a larger project for an important client, and we wanted the site to be top-notch.

We looked at different companies, mostly in the New Jersey area, and came across Cantilever. I talked to Ty on the phone and found that we got along really well. I got the sense that they would be really easy to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent somewhere around $43,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2020 and wrapped up in July of the same year. They’re providing adjustments and ongoing maintenance.

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

It’s been a really pleasant experience working with them. They delivered an exceptionally user-friendly website. Our inhouse web expert has found the backend very easy to navigate.

Their delivery was also very well-documented, we’re able to know how everything is configured. Although the site launched, our client wanted to make a few changes, so we’re currently working on post-launch modifications.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been super responsive and helpful. They’re doing what they can to work with us on the budget; despite the post-launch changes, they’re not billing us significantly more. They’ve worked with us to keep those costs as out-of-pocket costs, which I appreciate very much.   

We primarily communicated via email, but they would always be available to jump on a Zoom call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The ease of working with them has been stellar. They’re willing to stretch their scope of work when necessary. They’re super helpful in mitigating costs and keeping their client happy. Compared to the past developers we’ve worked with, Cantilever has been definitively more willing to take on a collaborative role in working with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I feel like there could’ve been a longer period of time between when the client could view the beta site and when it went live. I’ve already talked to Ty about this and how it’s not necessarily their fault. There was some miscommunication on our end, as well. Other than that, the client was very happy with the delivery.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be very open and honest with them. They’re willing to listen and consider everything you have to say. As long as you’re honest about your expectations, they’re going to do what they can to fulfill them. That open communication is super important.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and co-founder of a design agency. We do web and app design.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We were working with a major consumer electronics brand that needed a website refresh with a very fast turnaround. My company lacked the capacity to get the client what they needed in the time frame they needed, so Cantilever took over the work.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cantilever handled every aspect of the project and communicated directly with the client for this project. The website refresh involved technically implementing new features, adding new products, and improving the CMS. 

What is the team composition?

Everything ran through Ty (CEO).

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from December 2019 to January 2020.

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

The client needed such a short turnaround because they were preparing to present a new product lineup in January. The product layout went really well, and thanks to Cantilever’s efforts, the client was able to successfully launch the new product line and get it in front of consumers.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated over the phone and through project management software. Ty handled all scoping. He was very detail-oriented in handling all the technical specifications and everything that needed to be done. They let us know estimates for completions, and we found them to be fairly accurate. Cantilever was pretty much on point with everything that they said they would do.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cantilever asked the right questions to get around any issues that could come about in the future. They had a very strong technical knowledge and capability and could see problems before they arise. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not this time around; it was a pretty small project, so it went smoothly.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you know what you want going into it because they’re very detail-oriented. Have a clear picture of what you need, and everything will go smoothly. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have a new media startup that commissions timely fiction inspired by the headlines.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

I brought them on to help me think about what the product should be and design the digital experience and concept of my site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an initial concept, but didn’t have any background in digital, so they helped me create the scope of work. They designed blueprints and went over the design with us. Then they built a custom site and set it up with Mailchimp and Paywall. Now, they’re building new product areas.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Ty (CEO), a product manager and a developer.

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

I worked with Cantilever while working on another project. I trusted them and knew them very well, and since I don’t have a background in web development, it was great to have someone that I trusted to figure out what pieces were missing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and it’s ongoing.

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

 I’ve received many compliments on the site. My mentor said that this is the first narrative site done well. The site has an innovative design for long articles. We’ve figured out how to make the sidebars add to the content rather than distract from it. The result is very unique and it’s very impressive.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, it was good and I knew who to contact if there was an issue. When they did miss a deadline, I always knew beforehand. Communication was great overall, so things went smoothly. We worked well together and it went great. Aside from the great work they do, they communicated effectively, and that’s a huge reason why I went back to them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do great work. I do recommend them to many people because they don’t jerk people around, they’re honest, and they’re forthcoming. They only take on projects they want to do, so they’re very responsive and they’re trustworthy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is specific to our project, but the transition from development to maintenance after the site was built was a little unclear.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about your needs and your budget. They’re straight shooters, so you’ll get the best out of them if you tell them what’s important to you and your project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of BARU, an e-commerce company. We created an app that allows users to choose a particular product and customize it using AR.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We wanted a homepage that was more advanced in execution than we could get from a typical WordPress template.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cantilever built a responsive homepage for our website. Their team did an initial study, assessing our target market and various business goals. They produced the report with an analysis of what they thought they could do. Subsequent to that acceptance, we determined the scope of work.

Their team added animations and movement into the elements of the page that were interesting. They reated an infrastructure essentially. Since the initial version, we updated the homepage contents.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager. However, it was a collaborative effort between multiple people.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project cost around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We expected the project to last from September 2019 until October. It actually went until December.

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

The infrastructure is robust because there aren't any problems with updating and modifying the page. We’re still adjusting and fine-tuning the homepage all of the time.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was maintained through a long email chain. We also had a series of meetings that were documented in minutes which defined the deliverables on both sides. Each meeting included a group of people but the project manager ensured that nothing fell through the cracks. Everyone was kept in the loop quite well. Their team was professional. We didn’t have any issues, so I was happy with the project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In a nutshell, Cantilever cared about the results. Their team did a good job, so I’d hire them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the end, they could give closer updates on timing and coordinate better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do the art direction upfront and execute on the content before the development. We were behind on the content, so that delayed the project to a certain degree.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a pretty small company that sells both wholesale and e-commerce luxury hair accessories and jewelry. My position is director of operations. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We needed general maintenance of our e-commerce website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cantilever provides maintenance services to our e-commerce site as needed. We have a seasonal industry, so we put new products and imagery up on pretty much a weekly basis. The website is set up from the backend to be user-friendly, but of course we run into glitches or improvements we want to make, like changing what the receipt looks like. We email them on an ad hoc basis with projects or issues.

What is the team composition?

My only point of contact is Andrew (Head of Support).

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

I’m not sure; I was not part of that process. Cantilever worked directly with our former e-commerce manager, and when she quit, I began working with Andrew.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them for a retainer of 24–40 hours a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with them around June 2018, and it’s ongoing.

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

Most of our work with them involves pretty immediate issues, and they always resolve them quickly. Everything on e-commerce goes pretty quickly, so if we have a problem, they’re really good about resolving it in a timely manner. They work quicker than any other of the web developers we’ve previously worked with.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email. I think that everyone is happy with Andrew’s response time; I know that he is oftentimes even available on the weekends. Andrew is really good about following up on tasks so that we don’t need to keep track of everything that he’s working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re solution-oriented and easy to communicate with. If there’s a problem, Andrew just fixes it instead of trying to argue why it wasn’t his fault, which web developers we’ve worked with in the past have done. Andrew is really easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I know of. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Anything we’ve needed them to do, they’ve done. I don’t think we’ve had anything that Cantilever hasn’t been able to do. They’re great, and I would definitely work with them in another capacity. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for Madison Marquette, and we’re the developer for the Asbury Park Boardwalk in New Jersey. We develop a combination of retail, entertainment, and dining establishments.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We have multiple websites and wanted to revamp them from both a design and security front. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have several websites, but Cantilever combined our websites to have a shared backend entry point. This streamlined our web management process because we no longer have to enter information on the backends of different websites.

The team also changed our web hosting as a cybersecurity measure and fine-tuned our SEO. We need close to zero downtime, so they streamlined the WordPress sites to ensure that they’d be up and running smoothly. They integrated a new calendar plug-in for event scheduling.

What is the team composition?

We were in constant contact with at least two members of the team.

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

We were working with an excellent web development group that recommended Cantilever when we were running into security issues. So we spoke to them and got the sense that they’re a very well-trusted organization, so we defined our scope of work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

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

Since Cantilever implemented these website changes, we’ve seen the traffic to one of our websites come close to doubling. We also haven’t had any security issues since they identified our issues.

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent with project management. They meet deadlines, communicate well, and are good at scheduling.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their skillset and the expanse of their knowledge has been significant. They’re clearly enthusiastic about and committed to our success. Both Ty (Founder, Cantilever) and Andrew (Head of Support, Cantilever) have been very strong in the work that they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t really think of anything. They do great as an offshore team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what direction you want to go, and they’ll help you articulate your vision well. You can be open with them—even if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want, they’re great at talking with you towards a solution.

Please describe your company and your position there.

International Arts Movement (IAM) is a catalytic movement that is reframing how we speak of, affect, and nurture a new type of cultural conversation, and helping to infuse culture with a rehumanized microcosm of art, love, and beauty. Wa are a nonprofit 501c3 and I am President of the Board of Directors.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cantilever?

We hired Cantilever to redesign our web site, providing a fresh new look, updated content, and to help us install a content management system. They also are on a retainer to provide us with IT consulting to maximize the value that we get from our online presence.

What were your goals for this project?

A completely new web design that reflects the values and creativity of our organization. Everything from header design to fonts to how each web page is constructed and a content management system that would be easy to use by our staff for minor updates. Cantilever also works with us on a retainer basis for project work as our organization continues to expand it mission.

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with them int he past and new their commitment to quality work, timely delivery, and maintaining budget controls on the cost of the project. We did not perform a market search for other firms as we were convinced that Cantilever was the right firm for the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They completely redesigned our web site, providing a fresh new look, updated content, and to help us install a content management system. We started with a project kick-off call to outline our objectives and to discuss our goals. We had periodic update calls to review their progress and request updates as our needs changed.

We had access to the staging site so that we could review progress in real time. They kept us informed at every project stage and provided training to the content management back-end system for us to make updates as needed.

The process required implementing many embedded videos on the site and we collaborated as to how they should look and how best to have them navigated on the site.

Our creative founder is an Artist and very specific about fonts and type so that this required Cantilever to do a bit of research into what would be effective to convey the right look.

What was the team composition?

The project team was about 3 people with one primary person who oversaw the management of the project. A small group was desirable to keep the process efficient and for me to interact with less points of contact. With that being said, the project was.very efficient and we had a high qaulity team.

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

The project was well received by the thousands of followers of IAM. We received numerous comments on the beauty and creativity of the site.

The Board of directors felt the site refresh really reflects where are our organization is and planning to go in the future. The new site allows us to more easily integrate our content into our other online presences like Facebook and Twitter.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very effective - we always new that deadlines were being met (there were no delays), content management was constantly being discussed. They use technology like Zoom meetings very effectively and we always had meeting notes after each meeting.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had direct access to the people managing our project and the project staging site to see how things were progressing. We were informed every step in the process and felt that it was easy to work with Cantilever. We continue to work with them as a result of the outcome of this project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little that could have been improved with this project. I liked the fact that we could communicate virtually and had access to our project team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of digital media for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cantilever?

We needed a redesign of our website so we hired Cantilever. Essentially, we wanted to take all of our content and migrate it to a new site, and then do a new visual design for it all.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cantilever began the redesign process by performing a full audit of our existing site. They looked through our content and identified any potential issues. From there, we moved into the UX design phase and they created mockups and wireframes. They developed a brand new site for us using a WordPress CMS and added a few customized features. 

We went through multiple rounds of revisions with internal stakeholders on the visual design, including color schemes and polishing the final look. They ran some QA tests and, after everything went well, we worked on catching bugs and launching the site with Cantilever. 

What is the team composition?

I directly worked with 3–4 people from their team. Ty (Founder & CEO, Cantilever) and Nicole (Executive Coordinator, Cantilever) helped keep everything on track. We talked with the designers a few times, including JT (Graphic Designer & Frontend Developer, Cantilever) and others. They had a full-stack development team working behind the scenes who I didn’t interact with till the launch. 

How did you come to work with Cantilever?

At a previous job, we received a recommendation from a branding vendor to use Cantilever for our website needs. They did an excellent job and we were very impressed with their UX skills and design chops. When I got this role, one of my first tasks was to create a website so I thought of Cantilever for the design portion. Once they completed that work successfully and earned our trust, we decided to use them for the rest of the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on the website from September 2018–June 2019. 

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

Firstly, in the over 13 years I’ve been in this industry, no vendor has ever gotten a site up and running on time and within budget, so I give Cantilever immense credit for doing that. Additionally, the website functions great. Our old site has a page-load time of more than four seconds, and Cantilever got that number down to 1.5–2 seconds. We’ve also seen a 70% increase in traffic across the entire site. A large percentage of our visitors are using mobile devices, so Cantilever did a great job making the site more mobile responsive. 

Anecdotally, our internal and external stakeholders all love the site. It’s rare in our industry to not receive any negative feedback from stakeholders, but we’ve genuinely only earned positive comments on the platform. 

How did Cantilever perform from a project management standpoint?

Cantilever did really well and the communication was very clear. They did an excellent job documenting work and plans. If there were any misunderstandings from meetings, they were open to explaining what they misinterpreted or letting us know if we didn’t remember information correctly. If there was a mistake, they fully owned it, which we appreciated. Something I don’t like about working with other vendors is their tendency to get defensive if they mess up, and that wasn’t an issue with Cantilever. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cantilever had a great combination of humility and excellence. They remain humble, even though they’re fantastic at their job, which is rare. Their team is highly competent. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I'm being nitpicky, I’d have liked if fewer bugs existed at the end, but that’s normal. As soon as they identified the issues, they immediately fixed them too, so I was satisfied. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and be a collaborative partner. Don’t just give them the requirements an set them on their way. Be actively involved, read the documentation, give feedback, and be willing to have a conversation. Check your ego at the door but don’t be afraid to disagree and collaborate with them.