Indie Ridge

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a vintage jewelry platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Indie Ridge?

We hired Indie Ridge to work on our advertising funnels.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indie Ridge began by getting to know our business. As part of that, they were able to get insights on what would be an interesting offer for our clientele. In this project, they developed advertising funnels that were focused on the authentication of jewelry. The funnels were placed at the end of the booklet, and the published booklet could be downloaded by people.

For example, a potential customer wants to receive a booklet regarding vintage jewelry or receive a book containing information about authentication, we can offer them that. Once they download the booklet, our potential customers agree to receive information from us. Then, we send them emails for eight weeks which is basically a knowledge course on jewelry. The booklet is designed to show clients that we know our stuff and they can trust our business if they plan to buy or sell jewelry. From that, we get a series of qualified leads, and it’s our internal team’s job to convert them into sales.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with their account manager.

How did you come to work with Indie Ridge?

We found them through one of their funnels.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £15,000 (approximately $20,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in December 2021.

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

They’ve quickly learned about our industry because they're detail-oriented. We currently have 256 leads and 31 customer shopping requests, so the engagement is really strong. We’ve also got a couple of sales that we need to close, but with jewelry, it really takes time. Overall, we’re confident that will be able to convert those sales in the future.

How did Indie Ridge perform from a project management standpoint?

Indie Ridge has an amazing project management process, and they’re always ahead of schedule. We use Jira, Confluence, and our internal ticketing system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver and fulfill all of their promises, and they tell me everything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Follow up on the core inquiries they give you because they’re there for the taking. You’d be amazed at how many companies get leads and don’t follow up in a timely manner. It’s also the reason why Indie Ridge complimented our ticketing system because we see every single inquiry from our potential customers.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an insight and foresight consultancy - that means we use data and research to understand how the world is changing, now and in the future. My role is Managing Director, which means I oversee both clients projects and company development.

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

There were two main challenges: firstly to refresh the website so it looked current and cutting edge. Secondly, to build a new subscription portal, accessed via a paywall, that would house new insights, reports and data. Getting this right was crucial as the subscription portal was a new revenue stream for us. It needed to be user friendly and updatable by our team.

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

We've worked with Indie Ridge before so knew how reliable, effective and high quality their work is.

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

We had a series of planning meetings were we scoped out what the site and service would look like and what type of build we needed. Indie Ridge brought really constructive ideas to the table and helped us iterate the site - adapting their work as we developed a clearer picture of how the site would need to work.

The site was built on WordPress - which balances good design and UX with ease of updating and management - and features including a payment mechanism, the login functionality and a bespoke tool that pulled through the latest content from a number of types.

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

We worked with one person, the Indie Ridge founder.

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

Our subscription service has taken off and is a huge part of the business. Our subscribers are able to navigate the site and find content without hassle and our team can update the site without complications.

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

Indie Ridge are personable, accessible and efficient. Communication was chiefly by phone and email but also included several face to face discussions and demos. The project was delivered ahead of time - allowing us loads of time to populate the subscriber site with content before it launched.

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

The quality of the work and one-to-one communication is key. For a team like ours that doesn't possess a wealth of IT or web development knowledge having someone deliver high quality work while also leaving you with the tools to manage it is quite something.

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

Nothing at all.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hi, I'm a photographer and needed help on a number of fronts. I'm also the co-owner of a bricks and mortar retail wine business that needed a lot of IT support.

For what projects/services did your company hire Indie Ridge?

On the retail side I needed help in integrating our POS and accounting systems plus when COVID hit I needed help in launching and online shop via Shopify. We had never intended to be an online retails but sometimes the world changes, and you have to change with it. Later, Indie Ridge helped me with my photography business.

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

I knew of some of the principals before, but not that they had created Indie Ridge.

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

They helped us every step of the way from selecting the online platform to helping us move our business to it and linking up the various parts.

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

I worked with Chris F.

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

We went from no online sales presence to a turnover that gave us an extra good day's trading each week - the equivalent of another week each month.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. They were always there when we needed them.

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

I line their ideas, their responsiveness and their willingness to go that extra mile.

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

Nope- very happy and would absolutely recommend them to anyone else (I'm sure we'll be using them again).

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and owner of a professional speech writing service.

For what projects/services did your company hire Indie Ridge?

I have used Indie Ridge for ongoing website support as well as ad hoc web design work.

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

It was a word-of-mouth recommendation. The deciding factor was an initial call where my business needs - and how these intersected with my web site - were discussed in an in-depth and very impressive fashion. It wasn't salesy. It was all about understanding my business.

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

The support I've received has covered the whole gamut of web needs. From design elements to optimization, to SEO. At each stage, the response was timely and the technical expertise very good.

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

My support came from Chris Forte.

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

Thanks to their input, my conversion rates increased and my bounce rate dropped. Turnover has increased significantly year-on-year.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication has always been quick and clear. For someone who has a fair knowledge of IT terms but is not a developer, the technical language and explanations are always perfectly pitched.

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

Their ability to place the needs of my business first. To make a really impressive attempt to understand what I was and am trying to achieve - not just technically with the site - but with my business goals. This has always meant their support has been tailored and effective rather than support for support's sake.

It has provided me with value for money, peace of mind and - very importantly - someone I can trust to give me an honest assessment of what web/IT support is needed to achieve a goal.

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

Not that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Im the owner of a legal services firm.

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

We established LS Law in 2015, and felt we needed to increase its visibility, by providing an on-line "shop front" which show cases the support we provide to our clients.

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

We selected the Vendor based on the recommendation from one of our clients.

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

We had a kick off meeting to discuss the aims and objectives. We provided the content, from which a series of mock ups was provided by way of examples we could use, from which the site was built. We had weekly check in meetings where additions and revisions to the site were agreed upon using the live test environment.

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

A project manager worked with us, who also had technical knowledge in how to build the site.

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

The feedback we have received regarding our website have all been extremely positive and has had the desired result of showing us as a mature established professional organization with a quality website.

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

We communicated over zoom/phone calls regularly, timelines were established and always met.

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

They provided us with a professional site, which delivered on our expectations.

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

We were 100% happy with the service we received.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Chris built and maintains my blog site which is simple to use, robust and does exactly what I need.

For what projects/services did your company hire Indie Ridge?

I have been involved in web dev since the 1990's & Chris is one of the most knowledgable and pragmatic people I have every worked with.

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

Chris was recommenced and offered a balance of value for money with high levels of technical competence and customer service.

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

Built and maintained my blog site since inception and through several iterations.

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

I worked with Chris which is always a pleasure.

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

My blog is small but influential in my niche sector.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was ideal - quick turnarounds & always done right

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

Chris isn't pretentious of fussy and understands that clients come in all shapes & sizes with budgets and expectations to match. They treated the smallest company with the same degree of professionalism as they will do with the largest firms.

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

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a media consultancy firm which specialises in providing strategic communications advice and content creation

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

I asked them to design and implement a website for the business

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

They were recommended

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

We met and went through my requirements, then they went away and came back with proposals that were assessed online. They also maintain a watching brief over the site and make updates when required

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

A web designer and project manager.

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

Their response and execution times were faultless. The site has been well-received, praised by others, and has generated traffic

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

Quick, good listeners, responsive.

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

Their speed is excellent. They're always available and easy to work with.

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

None