Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Defy The Odds, a blog that gives horseracing tips and analyses to customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

I asked Gareth (Web Developer & Graphic Designer) to make a couple of improvements to my website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gareth took over the existing build of my website from the previous developer. He fixed multiple bugs, enhanced the overall site speed, and simplified the sign-up and login processes. I had a recent results tab that never seemed to function properly, so he diagnosed and remedies that as well. He also implemented better security since I kept getting a lot of spam calls and emails. 

After addressing those issues, Gareth then worked on the website’s optimization. He recovered my domain name and hosting from the previous developer and now provides ongoing maintenance for me.

What is the team composition?

I’ve only interacted with Gareth.

How did you come to work with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

I searched online for web developers and saw Gareth’s works. I spoke to him and found him to be very straightforward, punctual, and prompt. I thought I’d give him a chance based on our initial interactions.

How much have you invested with them?

Up until this point, I’ve invested around $10,000 AUD (approximately $7,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking in December 2019, and he formally began working for me in January 2020. Our engagement is ongoing.

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

Gareth has just been amazing. He’s always on time and does everything I need. Ever since he improved the security of my website, I’ve stopped getting spam calls and emails. His SEO efforts have also helped my blog rank seventh in Google search results. I get 10–15 daily inquiries, which is good considering I don’t advertise. 

How did Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia perform from a project management standpoint?

He’s always spot on. Whenever I message him, he replies to me within the hour and gets the job done in a day or two. I usually contact him through email, but I give him a text if it’s something more urgent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gareth is super fast and reliable. There hasn’t been any challenge that he wasn’t able to complete.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. He’s pretty good. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Gareth is great to work with if you’re not a tech-savvy person like me. He’ll have the answers to all of your questions.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of a graphic design and web development company working for many different industries.

For what projects/services did your company hire Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia, and what were your goals?

Gareth has been working with my company for many years on projects large and small for a variety of clients. He has custom built sites as well as consulted on and developed various CMS sites implementing new high level database features and solutions.

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

I advertised for a web developer to assist with one project and Gareth got the role due to his graphic arts background, attention to detail and consistent, reliable communication. Gareth has been working with me as a preferred supplier ever since.

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

Gareth and I discuss in detail the project and work out the best solution for the task at hand. Gareth always researches the options available and presents a proposal that is very in depth with associated costs to consider. Gareth has never missed a deadline and is always available when required. His knowledge of all systems and current technologies is of a very high level and what he doesn't know he will research and learn for the project.

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

As well as working in a team with me, Gareth also work autonomously and directly with my clients who range from directors of their companies, marketing managers through to office assistants.

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

Gareth's development projects are always sound and all bugs are eradicated before going live. Large database projects have fewer issues to troubleshoot when Gareth is on board and this results in a better user experience

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

Gareth has great communication and always keeps myself and my clients updated with every task at hand. He works well to deadlines and never over promises or under delivers.

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

Gareth is easy to work with, and he always makes time to assist with other projects when called on.

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

There is nothing that Gareth needs to improve on when working with my company. He is the ultimate professional and if he cannot do something he will always say so.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a clinic that has around 20 practitioners. I am the director of the company, and I’ve had this medium-sized business for eight years.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

I had a business partner who put together and designed our website for about four years. When she left, I realized I did not have those skills, so I enlisted Gareth (Web Developer & Graphic Designer) to do that job.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gareth was supposedly only going to maintain our existing website. Upon getting him on board, however, we discovered that the backend of the site wasn’t set up properly and was not very secure. He went in, diagnosed and fixed all of the existing site issues, and upgraded the site for us. He ended up building me a completely new website by the end of that process. Our original one was on WordPress, but Gareth might have preferred to rebuild it on another platform. 

Gareth changed a couple of things on the new website. He introduced sticky menus and a chat button as well as backend features that could allow me and my staff to update information on the site on our own. He also integrated our booking system into the site and created a gift voucher purchasing page.

He now looks after our hosting and security, making all of the necessary fixes and updates for me. He continues to help me with all kinds of things. 

What is the team composition?

The only person we’ve worked with is Gareth himself.

How did you come to work with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

Gareth was introduced by a friend who had previously worked with him. We did look into other agencies, but we liked Gareth the most because we felt that we could trust him. 

How much have you invested with them?

Up until this point, we’ve probably spent around $20,000–$25,000 AUD (approximately $14,000–$18,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Gareth in November 2017, and our partnership is ongoing.

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

We’d be lost without Gareth. We receive amazing feedback about our website all the time. From a financial perspective, our income has definitely increased ever since we've been able to arrange bookings online. The gift voucher purchasing page that he created has helped me make money while I sleep as well. I reckon that, overall, our revenue has probably doubled since our engagement with Gareth.

How did Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia perform from a project management standpoint?

He performs fabulously to the point where I’m the one who has to keep up. He’s always on top of things. We typically communicate via email, but when we reach a particularly sticky point in the project, we arrange a couple of phone calls to get through it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about our partnership is how Gareth can read my mind. He knows what challenges are going to come up before I even know them. Web development is simply not my area of expertise, and it feels really good to be supported by someone who’s knowledgeable about it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been really happy with his services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be organized and have some clarity about what you want on your new website. If you’re like me and you don’t have any background in web design, be sure to trust Gareth’s suggestions. It will save you a lot of time and money to let him lead the process.

Introduce your business and what you do there? 

I’m the director of Larkscapes Graphic & Website Design. We provide web solutions, online marketing, and advertising services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

We needed a partner with extensive programming knowledge to help with our development projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia has collaborated with us to build websites from scratch on several projects, some of which were extensive and intricate. They work in PHP, JavaScript, WordPress, and other technologies and platforms. They now provide ongoing maintenance and support. They’ve also done film editing and sound score editing for audiobooks and commercials.

What is the team composition? 

We interact with Gareth (Owner) and several others, including graphic designers, UI/UX designers, content managers, developers, and other technical experts.

How did you come to work with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia?

They responded to an ad on social media, and we found out that they had the expertise in programming languages and technologies that we required.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $500,000 AUD (approximately $364,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia started in May 2016.

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

Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia brings a lot of value to us and has become an integral part of our processes. The feedback that we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive.

How did Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia perform from a project management perspective?

They deliver on time and are always available and responsive. We communicate via phone and have meetings as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They have a broad range of expertise that relates to our business, making them widely useful across projects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Present a clear and thorough brief to Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia.