CodeProud

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a B2B language school. We primarily teach English.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodeProud?

Our previous WordPress website wasn’t functional, so we hired CodeProud to rebuild the site from scratch on a different platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodeProud reviewed our website and goals for the rebuild. Their project manager held a workshop with our team to identify the new site’s content and marketing strategy. The team then developed the site on an Umbraco CMS. We provided content, which CodeProud’s copy editor refined through a series of reviews and corrections. The design phase included iterative feedback and changes to optimize the site.

We completed the introduction phase in summer 2017, and production lasted between August–September. The team then made the site more SEO-friendly between October–November 2017. Although the engagement ended, our team is now implementing new changes with the help of a third-party marketing agency. Likewise, CodeProud did not do SEO directly, but we’ll soon release changes based on their input and improvements.

What is the team composition?

We communicated daily with one copywriter, a project manager, and at least one programmer. They likely had additional resources working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with CodeProud?

I received a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with CodeProud between July–November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we minimally invested in SEO, our site isn’t that well-positioned on Google. But the backend is functional, and the site is useful for addressing inquiries and providing contact forms. Approximately 15% of our leads come from the website, which is high for our industry. However, even though the website isn’t our main source of revenue, the UI design and Google AdWords campaign drove sales.

How did CodeProud perform from a project management standpoint?

CodeProud addressed our requirements effectively. The project manager was responsive and took ownership of the deliveries.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CodeProud’s project management and copywriting skills distinguished the team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. The changes we’ve recently implemented have the potential to be very effective.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Go for it and approach the partnership with an open mind. Trust the team and let them take full responsibility for the scope. CodeProud listens to their clients and gathers their ideas, but the team also challenges the customer. This balance maximizes their ability to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the website content manager for Teatr Studio. I also work with the marketing director and PR, on the production of all prints, posters and press ads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with CodeProud?

We were building a new website for the theater. The new artistic director started working for us one year ago, and they decided to change the visual elements of the theater, as well as the website. This was our first collaboration with CodeProud; the previous website was coded by a different company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodeProud was hired to develop our new website.

Some of the inspiration for the site came from Bochum Theater and Gorki Theater in Germany, but the new material came from our designer, who also created posters and other material. Then the concept was approved by our artistic director.

The site is integrated with our ticket reservation system, which was built by another developer.

I was in touch with 3 people, including Tomasz Stradomski, the main contact, the programming lead, who posted tasks in JIRA, and the project manager, who served as the main contact when Tomasz was away. There may have been more people behind the scenes. Tomasz selected the team for us. We are not a large theater, so this was a small project.

During the project, Tomasz came to our location 5-6 times, in order to meet with me and the graphic designer. We discussed what we needed, and CodeProud offered their assistance in building the website and its structure. After these meetings, we maintained communication via email and JIRA, which CodeProud introduced to us. We found it very convenient.

How did you come to work with CodeProud?

We looked at 3-4 offers in total and found the one from CodeProud to be very good. All of the offers had almost the same price, but the contact we had with Tomasz was very good. I know that this was an important factor in projects like this one.

I had met with Tomasz Stradomski, their CEO, in November 2016, while he was working for InteliSoft. He made a presentation of the marketing solution his firm could offer, and we found it impressive. The contact with him was fine, so when we started thinking about changing the website, I asked him for a proposal from his current position at CodeProud. The offer was very good, and we started talking about the site.

How much have you invested with CodeProud?

The cost of their work was around €6,000. [$7,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We decided to change the website in December 2016. Our new director wanted to build the new website fast, so we had a short timeline. Our first deadline was only 3 weeks. Our artistic director looked at the first pages produced by CodeProud and decided to change direction. We started again in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our current website is very clean. Our founder, Witkacy, was a Polish artist whose philosophy was clear. The website needed to adhere to this, and CodeProud took the design from us and did exactly as we wanted.

The Google Analytics stats of the new website are similar to the previous one, but making artistic changes can be difficult for a small, independent theater. The response so far has been that ours is a very fresh and unusual website, but I can’t say much more. We are a small company and don’t study the market to a great extent. We are satisfied with CodeProud’s work.

How did CodeProud perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was delivered on budget. There were some delays from our side, that were caused by the changes we requested, but CodeProud’s team did their job well. They answered questions quickly, and addressed issues, even over the weekend.

What did you find most impressive about CodeProud?

I appreciated the communication and the working schedule. I have been working in the theater industry for about 8 years, and this was my first website project, but it was the best collaboration overall.

Are there any areas CodeProud could improve?

No. All aspects of the project were fine for me.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with CodeProud?

None. I simply recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company operates in 16 European markets. We deliver water and coffee in 5-gallon bottles to different businesses as well as residential clients. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodeProud?

Our greatest challenge in marketing has been delivering quality leads for better sales. About 5–6 years ago, we developed a lead management system for our telemarketing department. Most of our leads come from digital campaigns. We also encourage clients to fill in the contact form on our website. As a result, we needed a more complex system that could gather all those leads and report their quality.

First, we wanted the system to automatically deliver leads to our telesales employees. There are 15 people in that department, and we didn’t want to process those leads manually. Second, the system had to accommodate new business lines and products. For example, a customer could be interested in 3–4 products. The system should be able to report the status of each business line and product included in that 1 lead.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodeProud worked on the new system about 5 years ago. The development stage lasted for a few months. It was an intense process involving a lot of people. Initially, we sat down with telesales to identify our requirements and wrote a brief based on their input. We had very detailed specifications for the product. CodeProud met with us and studied what our company processes looked like, particularly how our sales department operated. They prepared the documentation for our product. They described what the system would look like, addressed all our requirements, and proposed some solutions that we hadn’t thought about. We knew what the system would ultimately look like before it was completed.

The system is tailor-made for our needs. For example, CodeProud put in an algorithm that counts how many leads each employee has and assigns new leads when needed. CodeProud continues to add new features every 3–4 months when our headquarters wants to know more about the leads we collect. One of these features is the ability to report the quality of the leads. Other features are specific to our products and services. For example, there are 7–8 statuses for each business line that we offer. We track a lot of contact information for the leads. The system also separates business leads from private customers. It also reports information about our competition.

How did you come to work with CodeProud?

At first, we looked for existing systems that could provide what we needed. I also searched on Google for companies that developed this type of system. When we couldn’t find one, we sent requirements to different companies. After speaking to 3–4 of them, we chose CodeProud.

Previously, CodeProud built a similar system for a well-known company, so we had a point of comparison. We knew that they could deliver what we wanted. The price was also important.

How much have you invested with CodeProud?

The cost of their initial development work was around €15,000 [$17,500]. So far, the total cost of their services has been around €20,000 [$23,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with CodeProud in November 2011. I’m very satisfied with the collaboration. We’ve started working on a second major development phase, although I’m not as involved this time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The system has helped reduce the time spent contacting people and converting leads into customers. Our telesales staff now work faster because they have all the reporting features in 1 place. This is a big plus for our company. It was a great benefit for our telesales and marketing departments.

It’s my first time to handle a project of this size with such technical issues. I work in marketing, so talking with IT people is not always easy, but it is with CodeProud. Other people in our company have had the same thoughts about how easy the collaboration is. We are very satisfied with the engagement.

How did CodeProud perform from a project management standpoint?

During the first development phase, we communicated twice a week or more. There was ample communication over email and phone, which increased during the testing phase. I’m not sure how many people worked on this project since we were usually in contact with just 1 person. Our contact explained every step of the process and all of the technical language. We could also talk directly to the programmer, but that happened rarely. He told us what was possible and how certain features worked.

What did you find most impressive about CodeProud?

CodeProud’s communication skills are excellent, as is their ability to translate our needs into a product. They understand our business and the complexities of our system. It is also quite easy to contact them for any changes. I would recommend CodeProud.

Are there any areas CodeProud could improve?

Not at this point.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with CodeProud?

When clients from a marketing department want to build a tool, they need to think about their goal and how they plan to achieve it. That’s important given that there are so many options, features, and innovations available. While it would be nice to have all of them, clients need to remember what they really want to accomplish.