Cue For Good

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run a small language school that focuses on women and children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CueBlocks?

We needed to build a completely new website, in both Czech and English.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a beautiful website that portrayed my offerings, plus a blog that helped my students and followers learn English. I wanted a modern, fresh, and colorful site that attracted my ideal target clientele.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A mutual friend recommended them personally.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I had an old website that wasn't mobile-friendly and didn't reflect my expanded services. We completely redesigned the graphics and the structure, made it faster and more user-friendly, and made it easier to navigate and sign up for courses. The last step was connecting MailChimp and polishing the newsletter. 

What was the team composition?

Many team members took care of different issues. Up to 10 people have been involved, but the owner has always been in charge. Other members are in charge of specific tasks like graphic design, newsletter formatting, technical issues, and English translation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My students say that the new website perfectly reflects what we do, so I'm more than happy with the graphic design and blog. They included tons of visuals and a colorful, beautiful homepage. I finally have the website I have always wanted. They were a great help.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We arranged everything through the owner and project manager, first in-person and then through online channels like Messenger, Skype, email, and Google Docs. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I love their graphic designs and the fact that they can work remotely with someone across the globe. It's extremely impressive. Their work is always professional, and they always find the best solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm happy. Some deadlines have been a little overdue, but they have a lot going on, and they handle many tasks. We solved this issue once we spread the work across the team, and the team always works fast.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and co-founder of a membership service that rents luxury designer jewelry for 29 dollars a month. Members can hang onto their jewelry for as long as they want and can exchange pieces as often as they desire.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We were looking to develop a unique and logistically complex business model. We approached CueBlocks with an MVP and tasked them with figuring out a frontend and backend system that would allow us to manage a multitude of stock keeping units (SKUs) and different types of subscription plans. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CueBlocks has essentially served as our entire software engineering team for well over a year now. Providing for our tech needs, they've been doing all of our buildouts, managing all of our technology needs from SEO to both frontend and backend development. 

When we originally hired CueBlocks, we had a bare-bones MVP that another freelance developer had helped us build. Under the hood, it was very disorganized and had several bugs and other issues. We provided them with wireframes and designs we'd made ourselves, although they've helped in that area as well. Technologies they've used include PHP and Laravel. 

We put off hiring an in-house tech team, or even any internal engineers, because CueBlocks has capably taken on all those responsibilities on their own. 

What is the team composition? 

Since the beginning, we've been in touch with about 5–10 people from CueBlocks in different capacities. 

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

CueBlocks was referred to us by someone who was supporting our marketing. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $75,000–$100,000 so far. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t disclose exact metrics, but I can say that we have been growing consistently. Ever since we brought CueBlocks on board, we've seen an upward trajectory in our business.

I've been extremely impressed with the quality of CueBlocks' work. They've really done an amazing job. After hearing negative stories about overseas developers, we were reluctant to work with one, but they've been great in all regards. 

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

CueBlocks was excellent from a project management standpoint. They were extremely organized, communicated very effectively, and met all of the deadlines. They were extremely clear about what they needed from us to complete these projects in a timely manner. 

The vast majority of our communication has taken place through Basecamp. It's proven to be the easiest way to handle project management considering all the moving parts in our project. If something is too severe or pressing to explain via Basecamp effectively, we call them on the phone or use two-way screen sharing to solve the issue. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CueBlocks' professionalism and clear, effective communication skills differentiate them from the competition. They can handle complex tasks that are less than straight forward. Whenever we’ve needed to figure out a solution, they’ve demonstrated creativity. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only minor scheduling issue wasn't one they could control.  It would've been great to be in the same time zone, but that comes with the territory of working with a team abroad. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and director of Gunsberg. Our beverage company just launched a new ginger ale in India. We’re in the process of coming up with new offerings. By the end of the year, we aim to sell 5-6 more carbonated drinks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We needed a vendor to help us with our branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached CueBlocks with a brief that described our vision for the brand. They gave us a detailed questionnaire to fill out. From then on, we had minimal involvement other than providing regular feedback and input.

CueBlocks developed our e-commerce website on Shopify. They pretty much nailed it on their first attempt. Our digital marketing efforts include SEO and PPC campaigns. They also manage and regularly create posts for social media marketing (SMM), which is split 60/40 between Instagram and Facebook.  

Our project was very design-intensive. CueBlocks conceptualized our brand language, logo, and all the beverage packaging. We went through 20 different iterations for the labels because it’s such an important aspect. Most of the design work is complete at this point, but they’ll continue helping us iterate labels for all the new beverage flavors we plan to release. 
 
What is the team composition? 

About 10-12 people from CueBlocks are involved in our project overall. We mostly interact with the project managers. 

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

We noticed a product on a shelf with packaging work CueBlocks had created for another client.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000-$45,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2018.
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CueBlocks delivered fantastic designs and a simple e-commerce platform. We keep hearing from customers that CueBlocks’ packaging and website look world-class, very international. No other regional company could have delivered the same quality and standard of work.

There’s been an outstanding overall response to their contributions. CueBlocks accomplished exactly what we requested. Their work is much different than standard designs in the market. I’m optimistic about where they can take our company going forward. 
 
How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

The process is relatively seamless. We use Basecamp as a tool, and we haven’t had any trouble. Most of the time, they rank above their call of duty. We had very strong opinions about how the labels should look. Even though we might not be the easiest clients, CueBlocks is always very patient with us. They kept showing us more iterations and options until we finally found exactly what we wanted. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CueBlocks is a young and energetic company. We’ve had a great response from the enthusiasm they apply to our business. Especially in the past month and a half, their work has been very well received. Everybody’s been raving about it. We’re very excited about our ongoing association with CueBlocks. I feel they can really take us to the next level. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The price point is a bit high compared to other agencies in India. Based on the quality of work, though, it’s fair enough. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Retro Days, an e-commerce website that sells vintage-inspired clothes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CueBlocks?

I was doing this business offline and through Instagram, but soon realized I need a website to showcase the products. I hired them to design and develop the site.

What were your goals for this project?

To spread the word and create more awareness our the company in our market, which is more inclined toward fast fashion.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of mine used to work for them, so I had heard good things about the company. I'd seen their work and visited their offices. I really liked their company culture too, so they were the first company that crossed my mind and I didn't look any further.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

The main focus was to create an attractive yet user-friendly website, with a touch of retro. A lot of attention was required in the design process, and I gave examples of websites that I liked. I was given four designs, all of which were very unique. They built an amazing website for me, and also helped with copywriting and social media.

What was the team composition?

There was always two to three people actively involved. They bring other members on board if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's recently launched, but already there is a lot of traffic to the site and my sales have gone up. It's too early to comment on the impact, but it definitely looks positive.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We're based in the same city so project management was fairly easy. I could have a meeting with them every day if I wanted to, but that wasn't required. We mostly interacted on emails and calls, or had meetings. They went out of their way to help me with whatever I needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This is the first time I've outsourced work and I was skeptical that they'd understand my vision. However, I had no issues. In fact, they really understood it, and provided me with a lot of guidance.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can't think of anything. They’re very understanding and helpful—I can't think of a better company to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Director for Buuuk, a development and design company based out of Singapore.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

When we launched in 2008, we were one of the only app development companies in Singapore. We didn’t need marketing services in the beginning and got by primarily through word-of-mouth. Since then, however, the market has become more competitive, so we needed to put more effort into online marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their main focus is digital marketing, providing search engine optimization and ensuring our website ranks among the appropriate keywords. They assist with the advertising surrounding any new product launches and conduct market research for our paid ads on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.

They’ve helped us in a number of areas. They've provided design work for our website, copywriting, assisted with the creation of a blog, and organized our social calendar.

What is the team composition?

We always have one or two people actively involved who serve as primary points of contact. These are the people we generally talk to, though they’ll bring other team members onto calls as needed. If we need copywriting, for instance, they’ll include their copywriter in our phone call.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

I'm from the same town where CueBlocks is based in India and actually helped launch their company. When we decided to invest in digital marketing, CueBlocks was the first agency I contacted.

We initially evaluated two or three vendors to ensure we hired the best option. We gave them each small tasks, but eventually phased the others out in favor of CueBlocks.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $300–$500 a month, on top of some initial setup costs. In total, we’ve invested between $7,000–$8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2014 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen returns on our investment and in general they’ve been very easy to work with. We continue to work with them because they’re a good fit for us, and we actually plan to expand our marketing in the coming year to become more aggressive.

We've also recommended CueBlocks to a number of people, and they’ve all given us positive feedback about their experiences.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

Our needs are fairly simple, but they’ve been fantastic. We communicate primarily through Skype and email, though they were also willing to work through our Slack channel, as that’s our preferred platform. They provide regular reports and it’s always easy to get in touch with them.

They’re also flexible. We recently developed a new website and asked CueBlocks to help us strategize content. They did so immediately, working intensely for three weeks to ensure the site was ready for launch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because we’re based in Singapore, we were initially concerned that an India-based company would have difficulty understanding our local market. I’ve worked with a number of outsourcing companies and it always comes with challenges.

However, this hasn’t been the case with CueBlocks. Their thorough communication skills gave us confidence in their abilities. We’ve never had to repeat our goals, as they take time to understand our priorities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Obviously things would be easier if they were sitting next to us in our office, but we’ve had nothing but positive experiences since hiring them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of All That Grows, an urban gardening store that started about a year ago. We sell seeds and other gardening supplies in India and Singapore.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

I decided to explore creating an online property, which is a bit different than a normal e-commerce store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a basic and responsive e-commerce design. This was the initial scope of CueBlocks’ involvement, but we expanded to Shopify development and internet marketing after delivery. We’re now doing comparison shopping, PPC [pay-per-click], and SEO with them as well. They did both the design and development work.

It was a fairly standard e-commerce build. CueBlocks built several unique features, including QR code scanning and an application which guides customers through growing particular seeds. We had QR codes printed on the packets.

They came up with some ideas which we could implement in our business to make it stand out amongst competitors. They’ve participated in a lot of brainstorming with us. They did our branding, including logo, packaging design, etc. They’ve done everything.

What is the team composition?

We had three points of contacts in design, development, and marketing areas. There are 10–12 people communicating through Basecamp. I’ve interacted with Pancham [Co-founder, President of Sales & Marketing, CueBlocks], Sarthak [Co-founder & President, CueBlocks], Avneet [President of Products & Services, Cueblocks].

Their office energy and work culture are different. After having traveled to the U.S. many times, their office is similar to those in Silicon Valley.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

I wanted to take my business online, so I searched the internet for a marketing company and development studio. I was referred to CueBlocks, and I immediately noticed their website’s quality. They’re also located in the same city that I operate my business in. Although they usually only take on foreign business, they were happy to work on my project because it seemed interesting to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$80,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since December 2016. They’ve been updating and maintaining our Shopify site. Last month, we expanded to Singapore, so they created and installed another Shopify website for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any metrics because this is a new business that they helped build. I can’t compare them to any other agency or experience we’ve had.

The website design is phenomenal, and customers constantly rave about the packaging and design. Customers also like the functionality, which is something that’s helped set our business apart from competitors. Other agencies in Chandigarh and the surrounding areas can’t achieve the design aesthetic that CueBlocks has given us.

In terms of our PPC and comparison shopping campaigns, they’re doing exceptionally well. We have to be patient in waiting on these results. We started from nothing, but we’re now selling more than $100 worth of product per day. We’re happy with where we’re at with them.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven’t had any trouble at all. They use Basecamp. We don’t have to visit each other despite being in the same city. We can communicate mostly through the internet. Things are going smoothly, and I have nothing to complain about.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their company is value driven, and their employees and customers come first. I’m very happy with them. Any customer of theirs shouldn’t have any trouble.

We’re receiving the same high quality deliverables, but at lower rates than those offered in Silicon Valley.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a bit more expensive compared to other agencies in Chandigarh. I can’t complain about it though, because their quality of work is much better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There are some time difference issues which U.S. customers may have to overcome. However, they’ve adapted fairly well due to most of their work being based in the U.S. and surrounding areas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm Director of Operations at Anatomical Worldwide. We operate several e-commerce stores and sell on Amazon and eBay, focusing on human anatomy models, healthcare simulation products and custom product development for pharmaceutical companies, biomedical companies, legal firms and patients undergoing surgical planning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

Our primary e-commerce channel is our website, through which we distribute several brands of products. We're using Magento Enterprise for both our frontend and backend operations.

We started working with a U.S.-based Magento developer in 2012 when we had six or seven websites that we were moving over to Magento. Over a 6-8 month period, the original partner was only successfully able to launch one of our websites. Due to ongoing confusion, rising cost and frustration with the output of that partner, we started looking around for a new vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially engaged CueBlocks to finish our Magento migration. They accomplished that mission and were able to grow the relationship with us into other areas of our business.

CueBlocks helped us with technical requirements and mockups of both the frontend and backend of our site. They assisted with building not just the product databases but also the frontend development. We had selected a Magento theme but needed a lot of customization of the frontend to improve our user experience and to address a couple of unique requirements based on our product lines. In addition, they also helped on the development of the backend to connect our existing order and warehouse management system to Magento. They developed the custom coding and worked with a variety of 3rd party extensions, customizing those per the requirements we had for the backend functionality.

We're currently in the midst of migrating to Magento 2. The platform is quite different than Magento 1, so we are effectively rebuilding everything we've done in Magento to date. They also handle our Magento maintenance, like patches and security measures, and develop any new functionality we want, like improving the checkout process or building new types of pages on the site.

Once the site was live and operational, the relationship evolved into SEO work. Through the migration process, we took a significant hit to our organic rankings, which is a natural side effect of any large site migration but it was greater than we had anticipated. Almost immediately after go-live, they began working on site markups and Webmaster Tools, getting all of our 301s published, clean and over to Google and Bing. They developed frontend content for all of our category pages, writing content and building out additional pages on the site. As we saw a return to our original rankings, we continue to use them for more technical SEO work. 

What is the team composition?

On a weekly basis, we worked with 3-5 developers.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

Our CTO at the time took a lead on shortlisting potential partners. When the list of providers had been narrowed down, I took over conversations and vetting. We looked at three other providers in addition to CueBlocks at that time.

We were reviewing based on what we believed to be competency level as best we could determine based on time, cost and vision. We felt like CueBlocks was really the best of all worlds at that point. For the money that we pay to CueBlocks, they’re a far better partner than any U.S. firm that we've looked at, especially if you consider responsiveness and competency.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $80,000-100,000 in the first year and about half that in the second year. We’ll have spent another $40,000-50,000 with them by the time we finish the second migration next year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2013 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a significant conversation rate at 2%, considering most of our business is offline. Our vendors and other business partners regularly praise our website. The industry that we serve is quite niche and I would argue that we have, if not the best, certainly one of the best-in-class sites for the industry. We have a robust category structure, the site is responsive, and our detail pages are very easy to navigate. Anyone in our industry would certainly give our website high marks.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

The relationship has been very effective because we have a clear vision of what we want and we presented that to CueBlocks. On occasion, they’ll give us suggestions but in most cases, they’re there to do what we’ve asked and are good at delivering on those goals.

For communication they use Basecamp. Their invoicing and billable hours are easily tracked so there's never been a question on whether they’re legitimate and correct. Everything is clear and transparent.

Their team is very responsive. We've had a few technical issues that every e-commerce store runs against at some point or another. On more than one occasion, their developers have stayed up the entire day working on our issues. If there's something critical, they've always been available and have stuck with us through any sort of resolution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They genuinely have an interest in seeing their client succeed. I think a lot of companies say that that's at the core of what they do. CueBlocks has embraced the challenges of our industry, our product line and our customer base. They seem to be very excited about the success that we've seen as we've grown pretty significantly since we redesigned the sites back in 2013. They genuinely care about what their clients do and how they can be a part of that success.

They’ve proven that they are both very technically competent and well-priced for what we what we get out of them. They have not tried to raise prices or put us in a position where we would be stuck using them exclusively at a new rate that they make up, as we’ve seen with other developers. They have a high level of integrity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As with any company located on the other side of the globe, there are challenges with time zone differences. We have to wait until the next day to get feedback or responses from them. But short of them moving to the U.S. or us moving to India, I'm not sure how we work around that. It's never been an issue that we couldn't work around.

We experimented with PPC with them at one point. It wasn't as if they weren’t delivering but we had other goals in mind with PPC. We decided that they weren't going to be a good fit for what we wanted to achieve on that end of our business.

I'm not sure what their PPC offering looks like now. They've been very good in every other aspect of our relationship so I would expect that for a lot of cases they would be quite good at PPC as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and director of a full-service digital marketing company that implements projects as a contractor, both internally and as a sub-contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

After the 2008 financial crisis, I shifted my focus from the banking and mortgage industry, which we had a stronghold in, to the automotive industry. At the same time, we also needed to switch away from a previous partner due to some difficulties and a negative relationship. Therefore, I needed a new digital marketing partner that would be trustworthy and helpful in this new industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built interactive websites from the ground up, and several times they incorporated Magento capabilities depending on the client's needs. They also do SEO and most of the Google AdWords implementation. It was a total collaborative effort between us and them which was necessary because the automotive industry changes rapidly with seasonal deals and whatnot.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with probably around ten people on their team.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

I originally found CueBlocks on a referral from some guys working at a large IT company. I heard that they had very positive experiences with this young company. I was able to meet up with them and the relationship just clicked because I could tell they would be a trustworthy and collaborative partner.

How much have you invested with them?

On average over the last eight or nine years, we've invested just under $1,000,000 each year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship began in December 2008 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their performance is excellent. We've built several companies over the years and our clients have been extremely happy. To give one example, we took a small car dealership in Southern California from 250 cars serviced monthly to over 2,000. Whatever they do is pretty much right on and very few corrections have to be made by my people.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been excellent. They communicate everything very precisely and we're able to pass that on to our clients. They are very amenable to working and collaborating efficiently. We mostly use email and Skype for communication, and occasionally I call them on their cell phones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are honest and they're always willing to give updates on accounting. I've never caught them doing things incorrectly at any time. Most of the time when I thought there was something wrong, I was the one that made the mistake, which is not the norm when dealing overseas. I find them to be extremely professional and honest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early on there were problems with communication between some of the people that worked for them, but those have been worked out positively at this point. We don't have any real problems whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're not going to take advantage of you, so you can share your goals and targets with them freely. They're very straightforward and easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and CEO of a supplement and lifestyle company that sells Chinese herbs to Western consumers. We are an e-commerce company right now, and our website is our only point of sale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We needed some minor development work and some SEO services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial engagement was to have them do some maintenance, which basically included shifting things around on the site, as well as SEO which included both analytics and optimization.

They have since moved to larger maintenance work in support of a Shopify-based e-commerce strategy they proposed, which involves building out new pages and installing apps.

What is the team dynamic?

At the peak, they had five people working with us.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

It was initially a referral. Their CEO and founder was very passionate about our company and our product, and there was pretty strong chemistry from that perspective. He was very complimentary of the brand and demonstrated an incredible enthusiasm and motivation to help us achieve our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in April 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been stronger when we give them ample guidance and instruction, as opposed to when we turn the ball over to them. I think some of that stems from the fact that our product is essentially a new product category, which has made their efforts to provide proactive guidance somewhat less effective. As a result, we've had to be more involved than we originally expected. That said, they're a great group to work with for precision, speed, and affordability.

Cue Blocks has made some excellent recommendations for design usability and improvements. They were also very involved with the strategy and execution regarding a new sales channel initiative that is demonstrating nice returns for our company.  At this juncture, they are very much a trusted partner for our business.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been very good. We primarily use Basecamp but do use phone and email communication as well when we need to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a tremendous value for what they provide, and they're typically pretty fast. That's why we continue to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a bit of a learning curve for both our groups as we figured out how they could provide the best value to us, but since we've gotten to know each other they've become an invaluable partner for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as crystal clear as possible in defining your tasks, projects, and outcomes. The more specific you can be, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that sells pet doors. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CueBlocks?

We needed web development help, specifically from someone with Magento skills that could help us improve and maintain our website. We started working with a marketing agency on a big retainer but it didn’t match what we needed, which was something more nimble.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out with smaller projects and built from there. It wasn’t long before we liked what we saw and we made them our full-time developer. One of the first projects was a site audit to see if they could identify anything that was problematic. They identified many issues so they fixed those. We had a lot of visual challenges and broken links. That was a big project at the beginning. Eventually, they redesigned pages and added modules and custom extensions. They redesigned our home page but not the logo, as well as some other landing pages.

What is the team dynamic? 

Over the years, I’ve probably worked with 20 different people. I went to visit their office, so I’ve met the whole team.

How did you come to work with CueBlocks?

We were trying to find someone to migrate our outsource development efforts to. They were great because they were fine with working on a project-by-project basis. They understood that there was some trust that needed developing and they didn’t want to give us a quote for a large project and just dive in. They actually wanted a smaller project first so they could show us what they can do and then we could build incrementally. That was perfect for me because it took out the risk.

I knew that there were different Magento certifications: gold, silver, and bronze. I was looking for a bronze or silver level partner because I was afraid the gold ones would be too expensive. I found a list of firms and tried to evaluate the SEO ranking ability of their own websites. If I want a website that ranks well and I’m supposed to trust a developer, their own website should rank well. That was a good filter, it weeded out 70% of the list who claimed they’re SEO experts, but their website was terrible in SEO. CueBlocks was one of the best ones we tried.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spend an average of $50,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2014 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were heavily involved in the process. It was pretty seamless and a collaborative effort. When they thought they were done, everything went to a staging environment where we could check it out, so there were no surprises. They’re pretty good and super easy to work with.

I don’t have any feedback from customers, but we have 20,000 customers a year, so they like the site enough to buy our products.

How did CueBlocks perform from a project management standpoint?

A lot of what they’ve done has influenced how we manage projects internally because it works smoothly. They use Basecamp and have a ticketing system. There’s a project lead that assigns the tickets to the developers. We can see everything that happened on that ticket.

We might have a problem with something in our footer that is causing errors. They fix it and push it live because it’s important. Alternatively, we can approve it first before it is pushed to live. I can go back and find any past tickets because everything is saved. We are currently on ticket 784 and do a couple of tickets a week. Their project management is transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their billing system is really nice. With other developers, it’s a mystery what you’re paying for. You get a block of development hours and if you run out, they say they need more. But it’s unclear where the first block went.

With CueBlocks, we work project to project and all hourly. We make a ticket and they let us know how long the work will take. We approve it, they work on it, and at the end of the month, they send an invoice that has a list of all the tickets they worked on and for how many hours. It’s crystal clear what you’re paying for, what you’re getting, and how much time it took. We can go back and see if that number was pre-approved or not. We have full control and full transparency. For an overseas developer, that’s the best-case scenario. It removes all the risk and makes it a lot more reassuring. I have a lot of trust in them. Ten years from now, I fully intend to still be a client of theirs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the team that we work with make tickets on their own when they see something broken, which I can see in Basecamp. But for the most part, they do what I ask them to.

When they’re proactive, their recommendations are quite good. If I had to encourage them to be better, I would tell them to be more proactive in identifying things that we should do differently to improve our site.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve referred them to friends and tell them to follow the path that I followed. Start with small projects and build incrementally. It’s rare that the customer has the flexibility to do that and it makes it easier to build trust.

One thing I learned is when you’re working with someone in an opposite time zone and the standard way of communicating is over email, if you make a ticket and it’s unclear or they ask for some follow-up, we lose 2 days. I’ve learned to make tickets that are stand-alone and complete. If you use if/then instructions, then you can save a few days.