CQL

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of Rogers Sporting Goods, a sporting goods store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CQL | The Art of Commerce?

We wanted to give our website a fresher look and make it more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CQL | The Art of Commerce did UI/UX design for us. We started by having initial calls where they got feedback from us, references of sites that we liked, and general information that would help them put everything together.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 members of their team, including Eric (Account Manager), Amanda (Creative Director), and Mackenzie (UX Lead).

How did you come to work with CQL | The Art of Commerce?

They were referred to us, and after looking into their work, we decided to reach out to them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $75,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, we had fewer issues with customer checkouts on our site. Overall, we felt like their involvement was a success based on the appearance of the website and the feedback we received from customers.

How did CQL | The Art of Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great with project management; we kept a good cadence, and they delivered rather than promised. Their team also delivered everything on time, so we had a good experience in that area.

In terms of tools, we used Basecamp, emails, and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design skills were very strong; they were creative and gave us a unique look when modernizing our website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to them as much as you can; they’re knowledgeable and have a lot of expertise in designing websites.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a chemical manufacturer that produces synthetic lubricants for industrial and refrigeration systems. I am the laboratory manager of the used oil lab.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CQL | The Art of Commerce, and what were your goals?

My lab was using a software program to collect our customer's compressor data, capture the instrument results, and generate reports that evaluated the used oil. This program did not fit our needs and we did not fit its limitations. We hired CQL to build a custom software program and mobile app, along with bettering our current website to meet our needs and growth of the lab.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

CQL had been managing our lab website for several years prior to us hiring them to build the software and mobile app. Since they had the background of our company and lab we knew they were the best fit for us.

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

The scope of the work was to build a custom LIMS desktop application, Customer/Distributor/OEM web portal and iPhone app, and Data Sync between LIMS and Portal.

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

There were many over the years - very much a team effort: Bob - project manager Robert  - service manager Tom - developer Joel - developer Jeremy - developer Eric - Regional Sales Director

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to meet all of our needs and complete our goal of fully transitioning over to the new program, app, and website. It was an overall team effort and CQL was amazing with supporting every step of the way.

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

Their management style was great. They were in constant communication with myself and my team through emails and Basecamp. They also provided us tools such as Jing to capture any real time issues or data so that we could relay messages more effectively. They were so awesome to work with.

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

Everything - their knowledge, creativeness, and willingness to help in any way they could. They would constantly check to make sure things were working properly or if we needed to update anything. They were like a family and they really took care of us.

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

Honestly there was nothing I would change. They were the best fit for us and I'm glad we chose them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Just Candy, an e-commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CQL | The Art of Commerce?

We needed someone who could maintain our existing website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired CQL | The Art of Commerce to maintain and implement upgrades to our existing e-commerce website and handle our SEO initiatives. 

They functioned as our systems integrator —  they handled everything from improving our site’s UX and speed to ensuring that everything was running smoothly. Additionally, they were responsible for resolving any technical issues that came up and making sure that we were compliant with all of the regulatory issues we needed to comply with.

What is the team composition?

There were 6–10 people from CQL | The Art of Commerce who worked on our account.

How did you come to work with CQL | The Art of Commerce?

CQL | The Art of Commerce was referred to me by an acquaintance.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1,500,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2016–December 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw significant and steady improvements in our SEO clicks and conversion rates. Aside from that, we also had fewer technical issues and our uptime was better than it had been prior to working with CQL | The Art of Commerce.

How did CQL | The Art of Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

CQL | The Art of Commerce performed well in terms of project management — they delivered everything on time and within budget.

We primarily communicated through JIRA, which they also used to provide updates on the status of the projects. We also had weekly phone calls with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with the exceptional quality of CQL | The Art of Commerce’s work. I also appreciated how they constantly provided suggestions with my company’s best interests and long-term goals in mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to ask them all of the questions that you have before jumping into the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technology project manager at Weld North Education’s consumer division. We make online homeschool curriculum books. We also do brick-and-mortar curricula for secular and non-secular schools, too. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CQL?

We needed CQL to provide support services for our software and internal tools.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CQL provides technical, app, and website support for our internal software pieces and apps. These include admin tools, and they’ve created 2–3 such tools for us. They’ve also helped build our e-commerce infrastructure. 

In terms of features, I use the admin tool to check any pending orders. There, we can see queues for orders. We can also see if people have signed up for our newsletter. At present, we’re looking to add more features to our tools. For instance, when we’re looking at stuck orders, we shouldn’t have to click six times just to find the information we need. That’s what they’re currently working to improve. Meanwhile, our platform is custom-built; we’ve migrated from Magento to an internal e-commerce platform. 

Moreover, our company is getting bigger. We have three different suites, and we’re merging them into one. As a result, CQL is going to help us connect our e-commerce platform to the newly merged and larger net suite. 

What is the team composition?

There’s a huge team behind CQL, but I mainly work with Eric E. (Business Development Manager) and Eric P. (Software Engineer).

How did you come to work with CQL?

I wasn’t part of the process when we hired CQL. I was in the procurement team when we got rid of the Magento platform, so I wasn’t sure how or why we picked them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000 throughout the years. For context, we currently don’t have a contract with them, though we’re looking to get one. Right now, we only pay their hourly rate. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with CQL in January 2013, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

If I need something done before a critical deadline, CQL is the company I use. They’re much better than other vendors when it comes to timelines and understanding our needs. In other words, if I give them a time-sensitive project, it’s because I can trust their team to do it and hit deadlines. 

How did CQL perform from a project management standpoint?

I enjoy working with Eric E. and Eric P. — they’re great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Firstly, CQL knows our product well because they’ve helped build it. Secondly, if I put in a ticket, I’ll hear from them within 24 hours, and I need that kind of response time in my world. In other words, their communication skills far exceed those of other vendors without a doubt. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a contract for a set amount of hours every month allotted to your business. Right now, we don’t have that kind of contract with CQL, and it’s our fault. As a result, we’re prioritized after their costumes with better contracts.