What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their team has massively improved the speed and performance of our website. Because we’ve experienced several agencies now, we have a good sense of who’s good and who isn’t. When it comes to GoMage, our requests have never been a problem. They’re always fine with every task we present them. If not, they suggest an even quicker or better way to handle something. There’s never any resistance from their side, and they’re very solution-oriented.
A particularly amazing feat was when they handled the free sample process automation. They finished that project in just eight hours. They went from a concept we didn’t know was even possible and by the end of the day had built it on our development site. They rolled it onto production the following morning. It was extremely quick.
Their work with electronically linking our website directly to our supplier has saved us hours of work a week and has become fully automated.
One time, we had an issue where our site went down on a Saturday morning. Within five minutes of me contacting them about this error, they responded that they had fixed it. They work at a rapid speed. The best way to describe them is that they’re constantly thinking outside of the box to come up with different ways to fix problems and provide solutions.
On top of everything, the value we’re getting is immense in terms of the fact that they’re half the cost of a UK development team who isn’t fully qualified in Magento. Overall, we’re very happy and very satisfied.
How did GoMage perform from a project management standpoint?
We put the GoMage team onto a dashboard that features screenshots of what we’re looking to achieve. The information gets passed from the account manager to a developer. There’s always clarity on who’s working on what projects. We have a Slack channel we use every day for quick questions here and there.
When we put a project on the dashboard, our account manager will estimate that it’ll take X number of hours. We give them approval, and they go off and complete the project. Once finished, they provide feedback reporting on how long it actually took them. They’ve always come right on the money or just under what they quoted in terms of hours.
Before starting anything, they always communicate time expectations so there’s never any shock or guesswork in how long they’re spending on certain projects. Everything is tracked through YouTrack so we know how many hours are spent on different elements. There’s clear reporting on their work so we’re able to see all project stages.
There’s fluidity in our conversations with them. We don’t need everything to be very structured because we trust them to do a good job. They’re even good at chasing us down if we’re the ones causing a delay. We have a very good system.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their speed is the most impressive attribute about them. An example of this was when we quoted our previous agency to handle some speed optimization for the website. They quoted it would take 150 hours — GoMage did it in about 15 hours. They took our desktop site from a 45 on the Google Lighthouse speed check to a 92. Compared to other agencies, they completely blow their competitors out of the water, especially when it comes to speed.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there are no areas for improvement.
The website received praise from outside stakeholders, leading to more work for GoMage. Their high-quality development is complemented by their clear communication and quick responses to questions and ideas. Their willingness to go above and beyond stands out.