HEPTA

Please describe your company and your position there.

I head the Marketing dept. for my organisation. Our organisation is in the business of real estate and we are a well known developer with over 30 yrs of experience in this industry.

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

We engaged with Hepta to create a new website for our organisation. The new website was aimed at improving customer experience, increase time spent, improve the quality & quantity of leads, to support additional projects that we would want to showcase and last but not the least to ensure we are updated wrt to the technology and back-end of the website.

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

it was a pitch process where we evaluate HEPTA basis Work done before References Relevance of work done to our category Ancillary and other services that HEPTA could give us Cost

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

Kick start meeting Sharing of brief over a call Referencing of look & feel and styling presentation of options finalization of the style & colour pallate presenting of the static home & project pages. closure on these pages front end dev followed by back-end dev Working on other pages having these pages as references inputting the data as per our requirement Sharing of test link Setting up AWS sever Closure of all pages. going live

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

our key POC was Sweta and we liked it that way to have just one POC. Besides this, if I have to think of, I wouldn't remember more than 4 names whom i have interacted with.

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

Too early to comment on the quantifiable parameters. But the website has been appreciated by all.

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

while Sweta was available on over a call almost anytime, we had weekly calls, and timelines and the next steps exchanged over mails. Work was shared in presentations from our side while the o/p was shared as links to test and approve from the HEPTA team

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

It’s true that a picture speaks a thousand words, the picture being the website created (with love) by team HEPTA; but would still take this opportunity to appreciate the work that has gone behind creating this picture. While the aesthetics could be subjective, the effort put in by the team is definitely quantifiable and applaudable. It was rare to have a team with skills, understanding, patience, and adaptability.

The team picked up the brief quiet well along with the functional aspects of the category. While the TAT was acceptable, they still managed to improve it when shrunk the launch timelines due to a change on internal plans. Not to mention, the reduced TAT did not result in any errors or increase in iterations or denial for any last-minute improvisations.

In fact, the response time was infectious enough to motivate our internal teams to close this a renewed zeal. It was genuinely a great experience where the 2 teams worked seamlessly to deliver a common goal – a great website. With this, we could reveal to our organization on our annual day a day before Diwali.

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

Nothing that I would like to mention

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a blogger, food writer, restaurant consultant based in India and a restauranteur now with an Indian cuisine project underway in Los Angeles.

For what projects/services did your company hire HEPTA?

My personal website which was along with my branding for the blog. It set the foundation of what I am today and my persona. This was even before the days of social media and their work for me was set in stone for my way forward in my career and projects.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to create my online brand which could be associated with me alone and my brand. Till date a unique association with Nonchalant Gourmand and my Name has been established.

From my social media channels to my blog to my published works. The goal was achieved in as little as 3 years once I was live and it’s been my second soul from the beginning

How did you select HEPTA?

I was put in touch via a friend, and at that time I was hooked on to their simple, caring very futuristic view which even I did not envision but believed in. That sold me and I was working on a budget, they fit everything in and till date the transitions even within the company since so many years has never affected the quality of my work. I feel I work with the same people I met when I first met them.

Describe the project in detail.

It was seamless. I had a certain set of questions put to me - i was expecting a cookie-cutter outcome given my budget and explanations - but being the writer I am - it helped that I was very detailed about what I wanted. They delivered more than I expected right from the creation of the logo to my colors and layouts.

Within 2 drafts I was going live with what I wanted and we even did an overhaul in between for the design. Once again they respected my expected compensations and within 1 draft revision I wAs on my way to a new website.

What was the team composition?

I not only liaised directly with the founder of the company initially - I was quickly looped in with the manager on board who was activating my website. I felt it was one entity I spoke to no matter the 3 people involved In doing up - what I today call - my brand

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

I set out to create an online version of me which would resonate my personality. It was achieved in less than 3 years and today I can safely say I am one of a kind when people search my personal and online profiles together. It’s been a unique experience and very fruitful for the lifespan of my career laid out for me. I see great value in being associated with them and will continue to be a part of their company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Like I said, it was seamless and I felt I was working with one entity as a whole no matter who was handling my work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The seriousness, compassion and most of all the ease and confidence with which they sort out issues when crop up. I feel I don’t have to do anything from my end to work with them. More so the response level when I write in with a problem or suggestion is almost immediate. They also do the follow up on my behalf if I haven't followed up. They are that diligent and committed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

My requirements are basic and standard, maybe I would expect light suggestions on improvements I can do on a yearly basis. Just a yearly feedback on new happenings and trends to improve my visibility.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Nasher Miles. We’re in the business of selling luggage online, and we’re based out of India. 

What challenge were you trying to address with HEPTA?

When we started our brand in 2017, our site only had an online catalog of sorts and it didn’t have any e-commerce functions. In 2019, we joined hands with HEPTA to integrate e-commerce capabilities into our site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HEPTA started with redesigning our website. Once the design approvals were in place, the team had a white label e-commerce platform that brought out the best of Shopify and other products in the market. HEPTA worked on displaying our products in an attractive manner to increase our sales. We had several meetings where we outlined all our requirements.

The team finished the website, but we continue to talk on a daily basis to improve our platform in some way. They also maintain our site. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with three people from HEPTA. The first person joined the discussion of the project’s requirements. Then, the other two are in charge of the communication between our teams. 

How did you come to work with HEPTA?

We learned about HEPTA through a close friend and mentor. That person had a stake in HEPTA, and he was the one who encouraged us to build an e-commerce website. We also met several web developers, but no one gave us a vision like HEPTA’s. The team was able to understand what we wanted, especially from a design perspective.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over 800,000 INR (approximately $10,700 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in July 2009. The team completed the website in November 2009, but they continue to enhance our product.

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

From the very beginning, HEPTA has been a great partner. They’ve made everything possible, and they’ve been able to create something simple yet attractive. The best measure of success we have right now is the fact that we have a working website. 

We appreciate that HEPTA helps us customize, and we haven’t had any major breakdowns or downtime. Overall, they’re invested in our brand, and they never say no to us.

How did HEPTA perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate over email. The team is always quick to respond whenever we need to make changes, and they’re always open to improving our site. There’s room for improvement in their project management process so I’d say it’s satisfactory, but they’ve added more team members so things have become a lot faster. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

HEPTA’s ability to translate our vision into a website fairly quickly has been impressive. We spoke to a lot of providers, but no one understood our vision except HEPTA. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In cases where we need enhancements, a faster turnaround would be appreciated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It pays to be clear on what you want to get out of your website. Put down all the scope and specifications at the beginning of the partnership. Articulate everything clearly because it’ll make HEPTA’s job a lot easier. That way, they can control the project’s flow.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of one of the world’s largest kids’ video content creators. We produce and distribute content on multiple platforms, mainly YouTube. Our network is made up of 600 channels operating in 36 languages. We maintain a subscriber base of almost 200 million, and our videos get over 100 million views each day.

What challenge were you trying to address with HEPTA?

Before working with them, we didn’t even have a website. Our videos were easy to find on YouTube and other streaming platforms, but audiences looking to find out more about us couldn’t find anything. We hired them to design, deliver, and maintain our digital web presence.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled front- and backend development for our website. Going into the project, we wanted to appeal to three different audiences: our business audience, our customers, and our consumer. Our customer and consumer groups are different due to the nature of our business. While parents pay for the content, pre-school children are the actual consumers of the videos.

With this in mind, we got into prototyping. They designed wireframes intended to deliver a clean, simple look that works across devices with different resolutions and operates quickly. At the same time, we needed a backend system that could handle our large volume of content. We needed to be able to plug in our videos and categorize them by IP. I believe they used PHP for the backend work. They also delivered a CMS component for us.

What is the team composition?

I worked extensively with an account manager. Due to the sheer scale of the project, I also worked with Faraz (Founder & CEO) until the final delivery of the site. We also worked with a designer who helped translate our requirements into site elements and a developer who helped build the site’s backend and the CMS platform.

How did you come to work with HEPTA?

I found them through an Internet search. I saw that they had built a site for another company I was familiar with. I was impressed with the nice, neat design of the site, so I reached out to them. I had also reached out to two or three larger companies, but I chose HEPTA due to their straightforwardness, ideation, and quick turnaround. Their enthusiasm and willingness to experiment made them stand out as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $40,000–$50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since March 2016. Although the site is now live, we’re in the process of redoing it to fit the changing landscape of the market.

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

I didn’t want to simply use site visits to measure success. In our case, a lot of those visits are powered by the quality of our content. As such, I had two main metrics that I used from early on to gauge success: load times and bounce rate. Our load time was under seven seconds on all platforms, which was commendable for a video site. The bounce rate was also very low and way better than industry standards. They also excelled from an SEO standpoint and delivered a strong design. Their team delivered a site where users could access the right information in no more than two clicks, which was huge for us.

How did HEPTA perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done well. During the initial 8–12 week development phase, we used to have an all-hands weekly call. In this call, I would receive timely updates on the progress of the project and would be given the opportunity to request any changes to the project requirements. When I requested changes, they made the downstream timeline impacts clear but were flexible in meeting my needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Building a strong relationship and ensuring our satisfaction are clear priorities for them. They worked hard to truly understand what we wanted when the project began. Their team never clogs up communication with technical jargon. This clarity keeps me working with them to this day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s really hard to say, but maybe getting more input from them on the direction other firms in our industry are taking with their web presence would be helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit with their team and be as descriptive as you can about who you are and what your business challenge is. I’ve referred three of my colleagues to them, so I know from their experiences that any project issues stem from the customer not being clear.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a jewelry firm. We sell high-end diamond rings with GIA-certified diamonds and are the only company in the world selling this particular ring.

What challenge were you trying to address with HEPTA?

I needed a website for my company. HEPTA took all my requirements and made a custom website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HEPTA’s team built a custom website using PHP. We didn't use Shopify, Magento, or any off-the-rack website since we sell a more detailed product. After completing the website, they’ve been doing the maintenance for the site.

What is the team composition?

I work with different teammates, but my main contact is Megha (Director). She’s the one dealing with the people in HEPTA to get the work done.

How did you come to work with HEPTA?

I was referred to them, and after looking at their website, I was impressed. I started a dialog with the owner, worked on the quote, and finally decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested $10,000 in the development of the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in August 2017, and it’s still ongoing.

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

It’s not easy working with an overseas company since we are based in the States and HEPTA is based overseas in India. I get building a custom website at this level is kind of a monster, but they got it done. Their team overcame those challenges, and it took about a year for the site to go live.

How did HEPTA perform from a project management standpoint?

HEPTA’s team is very accommodating to all our needs. We have nightly calls and emails back and forth, so all the work is completed in a good amount of time. They have good quality work and good response times. In regard to the tools used for the project, they use different design tools as well as Excel to keep our projects in line.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The whole development of the website was a big project. I’m impressed with HEPTA’s team execution since there were many hurdles. We needed to find solutions for each issue, and they would help me find those solutions. Today, they're helping me with other solutions and marketing. Even if the work doesn't have to do with them internally, they help me find third-party companies that are within their network.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Working with international companies is never easy. I don't think there's much HEPTA could have done differently or that I could have asked given the scope of the project. I am satisfied with their work.

Any advice for potential customers?

Interview them, have a look at their work like what I did, and look at what their projects are. I’m sure that they will be more than happy to share their websites and show the quality of work that they do. Again, building a custom website is much more complicated than using a third-party website like Shopify. However, if they can do it, and they sure were able to, I'm sure they can do any other customers’ work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Ugaoo, a gardening product startup. We’re one of the leading companies in India in this sector.

What challenge were you trying to address with HEPTA?

Since our category is quite niche, we wanted to get an upgraded UI/UX. We needed to design something very unique that hasn’t been seen in the Indian market. We needed something clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HEPTA designed the UI/UX of our Magento-based e-commerce website. They were responsible for designing the flows and pages using HTML, PHP, and CSS5.

Several years ago, they developed our entire website for us from scratch, so this time around they updated the designs. We also have another seed company that they designed and executed that website as well. They created the logo design and a few email designs as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with around 5 people from their team.

How did you come to work with HEPTA?

They had done a website for an electronic dance music festival in India. When I was surfing that like six years ago, I saw their name and contacted them to develop our website.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2015 and it's ongoing.

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

We’ve been getting a lot of feedback that our website is amazing. A lot of people have been talking about our website design, how well everything is organized, and how efficiently we’re able to give all the information around plans on our product detail page, listings page, etc. It’s kind of unseen in the Indian market.

Thanks to HEPTA, we’ve really been able to create a great website. We realized a lot more people were browsing. The mobile version is very fast even though the website is image-heavy.

There was definitely an increase in sales. We’re unable to credit the website to it because, after the lockdown, people were more into plants so we’re not sure if it’s entirely because of the website. We had to go through a rough patch for a month because some things weren’t working but they fixed it. 

How did HEPTA perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at meeting deadlines. Since they are all working from home, they are able to coordinate and communicate very well amongst each other. There are delays of maybe a day or so but whatever they deliver is flawless.

We usually communicate through email. We also use WhatsApp for our in-house developers and their developers to merge and discuss things. Our teams manage the project through Jira. Sometimes we come up with unusual requests and HEPTA is very happy to help us out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion for creating really good-looking websites is impressive. The founder is very accommodating to any requests. They really work hard. Another strong point of theirs is the look and feel of the sites they create.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I feel they're a bit limited in terms of who does the coding on their tech team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There should be a lot of discussions with them. It’s always good to spend more time at the start of the project. They really brainstorm and fix the design in the beginning. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I head the Digital Initiatives at The Live Love Foundation located in Bangalore, India since January 2020. LiveLoveLaugh (LLL) was founded in 2015 by actor Deepika Padukone. The Foundation combines knowledge and domain expertise to create awareness about mental health, reduce stigma associated with mental illness, and provide credible mental health resources on its digital platforms.

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

Our website needed an upgrade to enable better user experience, performance and device compatibility. Ensuring a seamless experience in finding critical resources was key for people seeking support. Information has been well structured for ease of access across both English and Hindi versions of the website. The website design is in alignment with our new brand identity.

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

Hepta was referred to us by Deepika Padukone, our founder.

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

Website design, development, and testing were key deliverables. This included the development of front end, UI/UX, and backend development, including server hosting activities.

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

• Founder - Faraz Naqvi
• Project Manager - Megha Kuchu
• Developer - Sanket + team

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

1. Website delivered with good quality.
2. Availability to address concerns post-launch activities.
3. Overall good user experience, look and feel.

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

Client-centric approach, responsive, and able to help resolve issues. Clear communication has been beneficial during the process of development. Timelines were slightly stretched, however, the team delivered as promised.

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

Professional looking website, with overall good look and feel, ease of use, and mobile-friendly. The team has been open to working together on solving issues so far. We were happy with the outcome.

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

Post handoff, we noticed that the system is not as flexible as expected at the onset. The team is willing to work together on resolving this issue. We find this approach towards solving client's issues a big plus.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I used to lead Brand Communication & Corporate Communication at Fountainhead MKTG, which is India's premier experiential marketing agency.

For what projects/services did your company hire HEPTA?

We wanted to rebuild our brand image and got HEPTA helped us make our new website with new look and design.

How did you select this vendor?

We looked for top UI & UX designers in the state and got them to pitch for the service. HEPTA came up with the most innovative, effective & efficient ideas and thus, they were selected.

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

The project was carried out in three stages - UI Design - Content Planning & Strategy - UX development

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

My team worked directly with Project Manager, Creative Director & UI Designer.

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

We're extremely pleased with the team. They were extremely prompt with their responses. The website received its 90% traffic on mobile due to its optimization & the load speed was managed. This helped us a lot in achieving our marketing goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was extremely efficient and always prompt to help us in all scenarios. Weekly and monthly updates and reports were adhered to. Contact Point from HEPTA was always hands-on with our project.

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

The teams design skills stood out from the rest. Additionally, the team has been patient in understanding in carrying out any tweaks that were required.

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

NO. They are Perfect!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director at my company. We manufacture Castor oil and Castor Oil based Derivatives which are mainly exported out of India.

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

We had a website which was very simple and we were looking for a professional development.

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

We found this vendor through our contacts. We saw their existing work and design which helped us decide with them.

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

We had a couple meetings for them to understand what was required. Then a few more back and forths to finalise the design and functionality of the website. Finally they put it on staging where we tested it out internally before approving and going live.

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

About 3 people interacted with me and my team. They did have a few more working on the back end.

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

nothing in particular. However we did get good positive oral feedback for our website.

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

Communication with the project manager has always been very smooth and they are quite prompt in responding. They have even helped me out with some technical issues not related directly to the website a couple times.

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

Their efforts are shown in understanding the requirements and I am fond of their design in general.

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

Perhaps one more round of QC on the content before handing it to us on staging.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd as an Assistant Marketing Manager. Shemaroo is a 57 year old content powerhouse. I manage the LinkedIn page for the company and I'm an integral part of the branding team

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

Our websites were also 55 years old with an endless links of videos making the load time exponential. Hence, we hired Hepta to bring their creative best and build a website which had all the vital information in order to gradually increase our website traffic.

How did you select HEPTA and what were the deciding factors?

We contacted a couple of web developers online and shorted listed a few of them. we chose Hepta basis the past experience, creativity and budget

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

We had an initial discussion about the objectives and goals... soon the team presented mock ups and wireframes. We had a couples of rounds of changes and then the website was coded in PHP.

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

A manager was our point of contact, he helped us with every step. There were designers at the back end

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

The final website is fantastic! In fact, the HEPTA team exceeded our expectations and we had a 50% increase in website traffic. Our consumers are better able to understand our offerings

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

We had a dedicated project manager and were always in touch with him. They delivered on time and were very efficient

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

They delivered a site that was easy to navigate and most importantly they helped us reduce the load time of the website and even helped optimize the website for mobile

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

We had some problem in migrating the site to our sever, however the development team helped us with that