GLIDE

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of an online marketplace for responsible fashion. Responsible fashion includes brands who prioritize people and planet in their business model.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE, and what were your goals?

We chose Glide to develop our e-commerce site from scratch. Our site needs were more complex than just an out-of-the-box Shopify site. Our goal was to see our vision come to life with quality and great functionality and in a timely manner. As a startup this was our first time developing an e-commerce site and we also needed experts who could hold our hand through the process.

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

I discovered Glide through my B-Corp consultant. My interest initial interest was just a second opinion on how to proceed with the site, as my previous web developer partner had been delaying creating a plan of action for many weeks. I felt helpless.

What ultimately sealed the deal for me was twofold. Travis' immediate ideas of how to approach the design process, despite information gaps that I could not provide yet gave me an immediate path forward that would not create further delays. Also, Glides move toward B-Corp status, and their overarching values and priorities aligned with Sellery.

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

I had two meetings with Travis, an introductory/discovery meeting, followed by a second more thorough discovery meeting to determine how they could best help me. We outlined a high-level approach which I was aligned to. Next, we worked through the contract execution process and a kickoff meeting where I met the entire team that would be involved from start to finish.

We started with a paid discovery where we dove deep into the needs for the site and came away with a detailed plan that I could execute with Glide or with another developer. At the completion of that project, given the outstanding work of Glide, we partnered again for the actual site development. I was immediately impressed with the level of organization and expertise. Their processes, tools and people were all top notch!

They use solutions like google workspace, Octopus, Figma, DoneDone, Frictionless. We started with the design phase, moved on-time to the technical phase and then the content and testing phases. They were friendly, professional and extremely helpful the entire way through. I was also impressed with the level of expertise of everyone I engaged with.

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

I worked with approx 8 people across the team, plus a few more through communications through issue tickets. My primary contact was our project manager, Paola, who was wonderful to work with. In her absence I also worked with Kim, who did a great job keeping all the balls in the air during our launch week. I worked with the team leads for Design, Technical and Content Management, as well as various members of their teams. Most of my engagement (outside of Paola) was with Drew, Tom, Jessica and Syndie. Each of these team members were outstanding to work with!

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

The feedback of our site has been outstanding. It is beautiful and high-functioning. Glide was outstanding in incorporating our brand style and creating a site that brought to life the look and feel of we had envisioned for Sellery.

From a functional standpoint, they captured the vision of everything we wanted and produced it at a high level of quality. The site is still brand new, so I don't have metrics yet, but the fact that it accomplishes what we set out for in design, it functions well and looks wonderful says everything.

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

They have a great project management approach. They have all the needed organizational tools, they are very communicative. We had a scheduled of planned touch points and what we could expect during those touchpoints. We had weekly touch bases during the design phase that kept us on pace and "as-needed" touch bases during technical development.

They used tools like Octopus, an excel site plan tool, Google Workspace, email, DoneDone for issue management during development and Frictionless for support management post-development.

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

Their level of expertise and professionalism was insane. I had previously selected another marketing firm for my web design and they simply didn't know how to navigate the process without having all of the pieces in place, nor manage my lack of knowledge and uncertainty. Glide was well equipped for all of these things.

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

The only area of opportunity from my perspective was a few occasions where perhaps I didn't understand the process as well as I thought I did, which caused a bit of chaos in their otherwise high-functioning methods. I'm sure these things were communicated to me in the beginning, but there was so much new information and such a great learning curve that I didn't retain it all.

Glide adapted well to those needs and all was fine, but I think it would be advantageous to go into a bit more explanation at the start of each phase. A good example is the understanding of what the custom design blocks are, and how to know when adding a page or section is an entirely new design vs when it easily falls within the existing blocks that have been created already.

Knowing that the approach to those scenarios are different is important. In hindsight it's clear, but a few times I requested new pages/sections later in the game that required new designs. A better understanding of the design blocks may have may have helped me plan better, although unplanned needs still would have come up.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the creative director for Convey. We're a logistics and supply chain company that makes software that helps retailers make better-informed delivery experience decisions and provide a better experience for their customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with GLIDE?

Our previous website needed to be updated and improved. It had a lot of different code that was inefficient and didn’t allow us to tell the story that we wanted to.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built the website from scratch using WordPress because there wasn’t much salvageable beyond the content on our previous website. GLIDE was instrumental in partnering with us to revamp our brand. We didn't necessarily want to rebrand, but we worked with their design team to pivot and elevate our design sense. GLIDE helped us to understand what our website was capable of, and introduced us to certain options that would help carry our story a little better.

They also helped us discover new ways to use our color palette, and worked with us to define data visualization methodology.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with Travis (Founder & CEO) on the project's scope in addition to a project, design, technology, and creative team. We worked with 8–10 members of their team. 

How did you come to work with GLIDE?

We found them on Google and initiated an RFP process. We wanted to stay within the local Austin area, so we were looking at a few different agencies. After an intensive interview process with multiple companies, GLIDE met all of our requirements across a multitude of avenues including budget, timeframe, and capability, so we decided to start working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $75,000 with GLIDE. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between February–July 2021.

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

One of our goals was to increase demo requests; we went from around 28 requests to approximately 94 requests within the first month. We had a 3x lift within the first quarter. Organic site visitors went from between 20,000–50,000 to 80,000–120,000 per month. 

From a measurable standpoint on the backend, we saw a 32% lift in successful goal completion across our goal map. From a site authorship perspective, we went from one person to eight people who were onboarded across the organization to contribute to the website. The new site allows team members across the company to add new content. 

GLIDE upgraded the website so that the system's frontend showcased our company with high-quality output, and the CMS on the backend was easy to use for everyone. They provided a lot of UX thoughtfulness that has made the whole experience simpler to use on our end. 

How did GLIDE perform from a project management standpoint?

They stayed within budget, and they were on time for everything. 

We used Asana, Zoom, Slack, email, Figma, and Octopus.do for communication and project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a lot of knowledge surrounding WordPress, and know the ins and outs of the platform. They were also focused on educating us on the platform so that we better understood what we were doing. They were accountable and kept us up-to-date with everything. Even when unexpected complications came up, we were able to handle them because they had great collaborative skills.

 Overall it was a fantastic experience working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We can't come up with anything that they could have improved upon. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define your goals upfront, and communicate what you're looking for. Know your organization's capabilities and limitations so that GLIDE can provide you with what you need, and give them feedback quickly to keep the process moving. Come to the conversation with a vision, but be willing to work with their team to leverage the consultative approach.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a people counting company that offers a complete people counting solution, including hardware & software. I am the Marketing Director here, responsible for overseeing all marketing related activities, including the website which we use for lead generation.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE, and what were your goals?

Our website had grown old, stale, and unstable. It was time to invest in a fresh look for our company. We wanted to create a beautiful site, with an intelligent design that led to a higher conversion rate.

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

We interviewed quite a few companies, but our number one goal was to find a true partner who has similar values and were driven by their client's success. After meeting with GLIDE, we were convinced they were the best fit for us. They were the cheapest proposal we received, but they weren't the most expensive either. They truly understood what we were trying to do and helped us navigate through some crucial decisions before we even struck an agreement.

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

After we landed on an agreement and decided on the tech stack we were going to use (WordPress) we got right to work on the site design. We held regular meetings with the design team to make sure we had things nailed prior to development. From there, the dev team took over. We had continual meetings, GLIDE had a system in place for seamless communication and feedback, and ultimately we got to the finished site with a perfect launch.

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

We had a dedicated project manager throughout the entire project, but we interfaced with members of the design team, dev team, PM team, executive team. We never felt like we had to get anyone "caught up" on where we were. Everyone was always informed and ready to help with whatever needed done. Very impressive team from every dept.

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

It is still early, but we are seeing much improved site load speeds, improved SEO performance and already seen an uptick in conversions.

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

Can't say enough positive about their structure and how their PM was setup. We never had to guess who we were talking to next, or when. They were always organized. We were kept very informed and always knew what our deliverables were. Between email, Slack, and their other tools they have in place, we couldn't have asked for a better setup.

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

Communication without a doubt. There was never any guesswork by us or by GLIDE. We all knew everything, when we needed to know it, to make informed decisions. It was so impressive.

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

The only thing we wish could have been a bit better was the dev teams attention to mockup designs. There were a few things in the designs that got missed by the dev team and/or were unachievable by the dev team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My business is a small law firm. I am the managing lawyer.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE, and what were your goals?

I hired GLIDE to design and create a basic website for my practice in order to establish a web presence.

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

I selected GLIDE because I am familiar with the high quality of the company's work.

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

The GLIDE team met with me and discussed my goal of simply obtaining a web presence. The team listened, and provided excellent feedback to my design concept. The final website is beautiful and is a perfect first website.

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

At least six people worked with me on the website project: the company president; a team manager; at least one web designer; and at least three developers.

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

The website is exactly what I wanted to give my business a web presence. The team listened to my concepts for the website, and guided me in making decisions by providing truthful feedback and great suggestions.

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

GLIDE is an extremely accessible company. We met frequently via Zoom throughout the project. I also sent questions via email, to which GLIDE always responded within 24 hours.

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

Because of my schedule and the evolving nature of my practice, we had quite a few unexpected delays. The GLIDE team was patient, and allowed me the time I needed. Moreover, the GLIDE team gave me the same attention and quality of work that they provide for larger companies. GLIDE cares about its services and its clients, and provides quality every step of the way.

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

I have no suggestions--I am 100% pleased with GLIDE.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Arganteal. Arganteal privides a platform to glue all of your deployement scripts in one, multi-language, multi-platfrom DevOps organizational tool. Arganteal automate DevOps automation.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE?

Out original web site was internally created as a shingle site. We needed Glide to buid us a new, modern, site that would support subscription to our new product introduction.

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

We looked for website vendors in our area and were introduced to Glide. From the outset they said they were not the cheapest but they were the best. We looked at some of there work and concluded they were worth the money compared to the millions we invested in our product.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Glide reviewed our exsiting materials and got a sense for where we wanted to go. Somewhat to our surpirse, they started on the art end of the project and progressed toward the content over time. About every week or so they showed us where they we at and got our input. We first approved the art and then moved on to content and messaging.

In the interum time we worked to hone our message and by the 3rd month the whole project began to gel. At the end of the fourth month we released succesfully.

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

They had four or 5 people involved in the effort. The project manager, the lead art director, a couple of content people and some coding reosources in the background.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We released the new website on time and it has drawn favorable comment from nearly everyone who has seen it. We are a small player in a market of big players. We needed to be competitve with much larger entities on line. We believe we achieved that with Glide's portrayal of Arganteal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were responsive, but not intrusive. The teams worked together well.

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

They bring a lot of prior experience to the table. They work at kind of a slow methodical pace. I think their employees like working there and it shows in their cutomer interactions.

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

In the end it made sense to start with art since the content is easier to change. Arganteal had no real problems with anything Glide did.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Communications for a pet adoption service.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE?

Our website design had not been updated in several years. We had great information to share, but it was getting lost in poor design. We hired Glide to revamp the site design and make it more user-friendly.

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

I met with and considered many web design companies for this project, but we were excited to work with a local company whose mission reflected our values. After reviewing Glide's past work and learning more about the project process, we made the decision to work with them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We started with a series of discovery meetings to talk through the project and identify the key goals. Then the design team got to work and presented us with some options. After deciding on that, we got into content development and lots of reviewing. We worked closely with our project manager and Glide's technical development team to work out any bugs and get everything *just right*. After we launched, we continued to work with the support team when issues arose.

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

I initially met with the head of the company to learn more about what they had to offer. We were assigned a wonderful project manager (Paola) who was with us at every step of the way. We also worked with a design team (Drew) and a content development expert (Jessica) who were excellent. After the site development began, we worked closely with the dev team, which was headed by Sam, who was wonderful.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The visual of the before and after of our website is shocking - it looks so good! It's so much easier to navigate, and I absolutely love how the design turned out.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked very well with the Glide team, and I think that is due in large part to our project manager, Paola. She was extremely responsive and helpful throughout the entire process.

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

I think their ability to make our dream website a reality was so impressive! I just felt like they totally got what we were going for, and made it happen. Redesigning a website is a huge undertaking, but the Glide team helped to make the process as painless as possible.

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

I think the only thing they could do to improve would be to keep the dedicated support team with us a little longer after the launch before switching us over to general support. The president of the company and I discussed this as we wrapped the project, and it sounds like this is something they will consider doing in the future. But that is truly the only area where I think there is room for improvement - we had a wonderful experience with Glide.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a SaaS subscription company.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE?

We hired GLIDE for a new website, our old one being outdated.

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

We looked for a vendor that we could trust to do good work. Our previous vendor came up a bit short in this regard though they charged a similar price.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

GLIDE followed a thorough, paced process. According to my software project managed, who was the main point of contact on our side, "They knew how to specify what we were looking for and turn that into a fluent design."

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

I think we worked with four to six people. The key points of contact, who were great to work with, were Drew Lyon (the design lead) and Madeline Seitz, the project manager.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The site was built to spec and launched successfully (with the expected parts to clean up.) We did not have any specific targets around SEO ranking or the like, though we certainly hope it will help. One of our contacts emailed me to compliment us after we made our soft launch.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

GLIDE made good use of the software infrastructure they set up (ticket submissions, etc.) This kind of thing is critical so things don't slip between the cracks. The initial calls elicited good feedback around conceptual goals. Per my software project manager: "Communication on the project was great, it was easy to set up any sort of sync meeting or get in touch with them to see where we currently were."

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

GLIDE stands out for its passion and enthusiasm. It follows through with reliable adherence to best practices.

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

I wish it were a little less expensive to develop websites but the market sets the rates. As mentioned above, a few years ago we paid about the same for a site that wasn't as good.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I manage Digital Media for Austin FC.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE, and what were your goals?

We chose GLIDE to build Q2Stadium.com, a digital home for America's best new soccer venue in America's brightest city.

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

We almost went with a safe, industry option, but GLIDE's enthusiasm for our project and the effort they made to earn the contract far exceeded other partners were were considering. They saw that enthusiasm and effort through to the finish line.

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

We had a kick-off meeting and we even had some members of the GLIDE team out to Q2Stadium.com in Austin, TX. They helped us organize our goals and ideas into an organized sitemap. In the design process, they were students of our brand and were patient and accommodating with our feedback. In the development process, they worked with our moving timelines and sporadic delivery of content to keep us on track and deliver a polished final project.

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

We worked most closely with Travis, Owner & Founder. Drew, their Creative Director and Jessica, Project Manager and Content Strategist. Many other members of the GLIDE team were instrumental in bringing this to life, and I'm equally glad to have had their help.

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

Our goal was to deliver a state-of-the-art digital home for the state-of-the-art stadium. We boast an unrivaled gameday experience for our fans and we wanted to highlight every bit of that on Q2Stadium.com. They helped take this to the next level for us, with features and functionalities like interactive maps that provide an immediate experience improvement for the 500,000+ fans that will make their way through the Q2Stadium.com gates each year.

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

I had the pleasure of working with Jessica, who is absolutely one of the best Project Managers I've ever worked with. Period. She kept GLIDE (and us!) moving along at the perfect pace.

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

The most impressive thing about them was their enthusiasm for our project. It meant something to them, and that was evident every step of that way.

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

I wish we had another stadium that they could build a website for.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of marketing for a small SaaS technology company specializing in AR solutions for brand & retail eCommerce.

For what projects/services did your company hire GLIDE, and what were your goals?

We had evolved over a few years from an agency-type company to a fully managed platform and we needed to reflect that. We needed a better user flow and full design updates to site. We needed to increase site traffic and were re-branding at the same time.

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

We did a lot of research on similar companies and felt the team at Glide was the best representation of a company most like us. They "got" us right from the beginning. They weren't the cheapest but from the start, we felt like they really listened to what we wanted, what our concerns were - and us being a company that does a lot of design, that was tough.

The first meeting was a conversation instead of a presentation. Then, when we had the larger team meeting, we walked through the process and expectations of our team, and the Glide team still sans presentation. Our entire team loved that because it was the first time we didn't feel talked to but talked with. No one was trying to come in and fix us but rather come in and work together to make the improvements we wanted.

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

We had a kick-off meeting with our full teams to discuss wishlists and goals and then the Glide team put together a framework for accomplishing said goals. Ultimately we had a 3-phrase approach that included using several technologies and platforms for communication, organization, and brainstorming. The design phase was the most collaborative, challenging, and longest phase. We had a talented in-house design team who were very hands-on during this part of the project.

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

We kicked off with the owner, met 3 to 4 additional members of the team but mainly worked with the project manager who was a beast at keeping us on track, and the creative director who oversaw the first phase of the program, which was the design phase. It was the most in-depth phase because it dictated everything else. From there, we moved into development and content.

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

We've been live with our new site for 4.5 months so we are just starting to look at data but our domain authority stayed strong through and after the process, our site speed has improved, and overall, our traffic is up by 20%.

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

We had weekly check-in meetings with the PM and the creative director and they also set up a Slack channel for daily communications. We had shared software that we could log into that showed the progress of where we were in the project, new design options and also worked together in Google docs and sheets.

Once we got toward the middle and end of the project, we had 2x weekly check-ins with the PM. When we got to the home stretch, the PM and I (I was the POC on our end) had nearly daily emails and Slack messages. They were also great about making themselves available for quick 15 min impromptu chats when we knew that email or Slack wasn't answering the questions.

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

They felt like an extension of our team for several months. No BS. They were realistic about the time table and where stalls would happen, etc. We worked together on much of the design and imagery so I would say that there were some overlaps. Depending on whether you want to be fully hands off or involved in the project changes the flow.

GLIDE was a very versatile team that can do it all and work well with their clients. It becomes apparent when you are your own roadblock when you're a hands-on customer. But the team at Glide was very patient and we didn't incur added costs for slowing down our own timeline.

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

When we first launched, we had issues with the form connectivity from our site to our CMS & MA systems. We still collected the information but it was within the web system vs. our MA system. They were able to fix the issues but it did take all of us working together. Glide had set up a full-proof form so we didn't loose the data but it would have been bad had they not been proactive.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager for an all-in-one skincare provider. We do medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, plastic surgery, etc. We also have a med spa and sell skincare products online. I handle everything website-facing.

What challenge were you trying to address with GLIDE?

When I came on board a few years ago, we had an old, outdated website. We decided to trash it and build a new WordPress site from scratch. GLIDE was brought on to develop and design the new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a design phase, developing a detailed set of wireframes. These designs identified specific aspects down to the fonts we were going to use. There were 4–5 rounds of back and forth, and we finally settled on a site with a series of different silos or, as we call them, service pages: medical dermatology, plastic surgery, blogs. On these pages, users can find information about services and book them. Another important feature is the custom “before and after” photo gallery. These images, approved by patients, show the results of the work we do for them.

They offered other services, but we’re only using them for maintenance right now. We assign them monthly tweaks through their ticketing system and they implement them. One notable maintenance task is switching the provider we use for our scheduling API. They’ve done this multiple times as we’ve found new options.

What is the team composition?

I speak with Andy (Creative Director, daily — he’s our main contact. Travis (Founder & CEO) has been very hands-on as well.  

How did you come to work with GLIDE?

We did a lot of online research for web developers and designers based locally here in Austin. GLIDE was local at the time, though I think they’ve moved a bit outside of Austin at this point.  Their combination of proximity to us and their past work in the health field made us feel very comfortable with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested high six-figures with them at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project together in December 2017, and the website launched in March 2018. Our ongoing maintenance relationship will reach the four-year mark in a few months in March 2022.

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

We don’t like to share too much about our internal analytics, but organic traffic has improved ten times over, and conversion rates for bookings have grown more than 25%. We’re 100% satisfied. If that number was even down to 90% we would look for other options.

GLIDE has exceeded expectations, especially on the design side. Our team thought it would take much more back and forth to establish what we wanted, but it only took 4–5 exchanges. Their first proposal checked off a lot of our boxes. We only commented on small facets, like fonts and such.

How did GLIDE perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very easy to use their ticketing system; they’re very responsive. I’ll put a ticket in, and if it’s super-critical, then I’ll call them. Large and small changes are handled well. GLIDE will respond with a time estimate for small changes, and we’ll book a call for more complex updates. GLIDE has never not returned a call in the same day. Zoom video calls have also helped us. Other than that, we speak over emails and texts.

Budget-wise, we exceeded our number for the website but that was because we kept adding tasks onto the initial brief.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and responsiveness stand out. We’ve had times where our hosting has made an automated update to our website which causes issues when it propagates. Andy and GLIDE jump right on these issues and fix them quickly. That’s why we’ve stayed with them through the years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve completed everything we’ve expected of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s best to go in with as detailed a plan of what you want and expect as possible. We didn’t know the exact design we wanted, but we knew structurally that the site had to have certain features and sections. I definitely recommend going through the full wireframe of the site, right down to the coding.