HDC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the SVP of the company. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Creative marketing and website agency for the multifamily industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HDC to accomplish?

• Develop a WordPress platform for us to quickly build template websites
• Develop custom websites
• Provide expertise on our overall web strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find HDC?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select HDC over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HDC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We asked HDC to help us create a strategy and deploy a web platform that would allow us to be more agile and nimble with our website projects and requests. The project grew into also supporting our existing platform and developing custom websites for us as projects came up. 

Deliverables are a multisite WordPress framework based on the wireframes that will allow us to create websites without a developer that also include integrations into other systems specific to our industry.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Success for us is our team member satisfaction with the platform and processes created along with our client satisfaction on the websites we can offer them and the turn around time it takes to deploy.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

HDC has been fantastic on turn around times and very open to re-prioritizing projects when urgent items came up. They have been extremely responsive to our needs and turn around times from the beginning. This partnership has been critical to us as we've evolved our agency offerings.

What was your primary form of communication with HDC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

HDC's willingness to jump in to projects they did not start to help us get them across the finish line has been amazing. No request has been too wild or crazy for them!

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

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

In my role as Vice President for Signal Marketing, I provide account management services and support for all Signal clients. As technical director, I manage the implementation of all Web sites, portals and email campaigns, and provide IT expertise to ensure the smooth execution of all Signal electronic communications projects. I also provide crucial guidance and support to both Signal and client teams for all aspects of electronic communications—from planning to deployment. I supervise all Web programming, applications integration, testing and deployment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Howard Development & Consulting, and what were your goals?

We needed a new website for our client that we provided the artwork and his team implemented. Our goals were simple. Give our client an accessible and well-designed website. There were technical requirements that were followed and making sure that the back-end was easy for the client to make any changes in the future after going live.

SOLUTION

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

We have worked with Rob and his team for over 15 years now so the decision was made for us. Once you experience the technical and customer service that Howard Development offers, it is hard to go anywhere else.

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

Starting a WordPress site from scratch and creating custom theme templates that can make up the page panels in our designs. Our clients expect pixel-perfect design. The site must not only have specific desktop break-points for headlines, etc. but also go through a rigorous mobile testing process. There are key milestones that the team has to meet for internal review and availability for last-minute client changes. Technical requirements included browser compatibility, specific use of cookies not only for GDPR but for HubSpot form integration, custom 404 page, baked in SEO, mobile optimization, analytics, staging and production server setup and web accessibility requirements.

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

I personally worked with Rob (principal), a lead project manager, two developers, and a technical guru.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their combined expertise and technical acumen led to all the stages and milestones being met on time and on budget. They have a great system for any "out-of-scope" requests that happen with any client so I know up-front what I need to get more budget for.

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

Howard Development uses a pre-set template project management system that allows me to have full insight into every phase of the project. This not only allows me to see progress and milestone checks but allows me to interact with the whole team every day. 4 or 5 of the team members also attend a weekly meeting to review the progress and see the changes being made. This type of communication is vital to make sure we are on track and on the same page.

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

Since I have known Rob for 15+ years, I just know (and have seen) that everything that he says he will do gets done with an extreme amount of professionalism and care to make sure the project is done correctly and on time. There have been times that someone on Rob's team recommends something that we did not think of to add further value.

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

Nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Digital Marketing Manager of MotoRad

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Automotive aftermarket supplier. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HDC to accomplish?

• SEO Improvement
• Product Search Improvement

SOLUTION

How did you find HDC?

Clutch Site

Why did you select HDC over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from HDC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We needed help fixing some SEO issues with our product catalog not being indexed correctly and our product search not returning proper results. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The problems on our site were fixed with recoding the way products were being displayed in the online catalog. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Using slack as a communication tool, it was very easy to track progress and communicate during the project. 

What was your primary form of communication with HDC?

Virtual Meeting

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

Working with HDC was painless due to great communication and timely work completion. 

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

I really could not have been happier with the process. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Cultivate Hospitality.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cultivate is a full-service marketing, branding, & design agency focused on all things hospitality.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HDC to accomplish?

Build a website for our client.

SOLUTION

How did you find HDC?

Referral
Why did you select HDC over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HDC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged HDC to build out a website for a new food hall.

• individually represent each food concept 
• highlight chef partners 
• highlight individual menus 
• promote events & programming with a calendar tool

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The projects were completed on time and to the specifications requested. There were no extra back-and-forth rounds trying to get them to match the provided design or functionality.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team is very responsive. With the use of project tracker tools, you know what is being worked on and can track the progress of the project very easily.

What was your primary form of communication with HDC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They speak human! As a non-web developer, I was able to explain my goals or challenges, and they were able to make sense of what was needed and communicate back to me in a way that made sense without a bunch of code jargon.

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

HDC is easily my go-to development partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of SPK Media

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SPK Media is where strategy meets creativity. Since 2004, we've blended innovative design with insights from our audience research to create meaningful connections between brands and consumers. Our team has a natural talent for seeing through the eyes of your customer. This approach allows us to stay steps ahead, uncovering chances to engage your audience before you even realize they're there.

We know how to unite analytics and artistry to help our partners succeed. Our superpower is anticipating needs and seizing opportunities early. This gives us a unique ability to elevate your business and push it to the next level. When you work with SPK Media, you gain a team that thinks big and thinks like you and your customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HDC to accomplish?

• Develop a user interface and backend communications tool to help people participating in clinical trials

SOLUTION

How did you find HDC?

• Referral

Why did you select HDC over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Easy to work with

How many teammates from HDC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Build a website that would centralize participant communications into one portal. This would allow site admins to share information with participants via a secure online login system. Also build out public-facing front end for recruitment purposes. Consulting on hosting services and provided migration support for the site once it was developed to the more secure hosting service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

A well-designed and functional front and back end website meeting all security standards, which all resulted in a happy client.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Timelines were met or discussed in detail to manage all expectations and schedules involved.

What was your primary form of communication with HDC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

HDC's willingness to help me effectively communicate or translate technical requirements to my client so they understood what we were doing.

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

HDC was wonderful to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Principal of Great Mondays

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cluture building and management for high-growth tech and social enterprise organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HDC to accomplish?

• Build and deploy client website.

SOLUTION

How did you find HDC?

Referral

Why did you select HDC over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from HDC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Wordpress website for client. Including hand coded details, testimonials, and custom user settings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Launched site with all designed pages active.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The HDC team was transparent and available. They were extremely responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with HDC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Rob knows each project and is exceptionally responsive. Unlike other dev companies I've worked with, his team never goes MIA, and are extremely clear about scope, deliverables, and expectations.

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

Not that I can think of.