UPQODE

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BIWIN Technology is a large manufacturer of flash storage technology in China. We have about 800 employees, and I am the channels and alliance manager in the marketing department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UPQODE?

We weren’t that well-known outside of China, so we wanted to break out of that market and introduce ourselves to Europe and America. Our goal was to show that we were thought leaders in our industry and not just a small-scale manufacturer, and we engaged UPQODE to help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first presented UPQODE with a rough idea of what we did and didn’t like about our existing websites. They helped us shape an entirely new design that not only took those ideas into consideration but also took into account our values and product ranges. We made sure that what we ended up with was more like a business card than an e-commerce site, and when we liked the direction that the design was headed, we moved into the development phase.

Our existing site was poorly developed, so we rebuilt everything from the ground up. UPQODE recognized that our local coding in China was not very user-friendly, so they opted to develop our new website on WordPress. They created an administrative dashboard, where we could manage the content ourselves, and added a bunch of other extensions. 

Apart from development and design, they also helped us figure out what things to put in place for a future SEO and Google Ads campaign. 

What is the team composition?

I’m not sure how many people were working in the background, but I interacted with about eight people from the team. We had a direct contact, several technical specialists, a designer, and even an SEO consultant who helped us out in places.

How did you come to work with UPQODE?

I went to Clutch and exhaustively looked into various companies’ reviews. I was very pleased with the platform’s recommendations and was able to shortlist about eight companies. After interviewing all eight providers, I ultimately chose to work with UPQODE. 

How much have you invested with them?

The initial agreement was for slightly over $25,000. We probably invested a bit more here and there but not an exorbitant amount.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in November 2021, and we concluded around April 2022. We’ve since entered a service agreement where they provide extra services and conduct necessary updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were anxious to get the look right, but UPQODE worked with us to form the image that we wanted to present. Our management team and stakeholders are very pleased with the final look of the site — we all feel that it distinguishes us from competitors in China and gives the appearance of a professional Western website.

We don’t have any metrics at the moment, but we do think that website is critical to the next step in our marketing and can serve as the core of all of our future initiatives. We can now introduce ourselves properly to European and North American markets. It gives s a whole other level of competitive edge.

How did UPQODE perform from a project management standpoint?

UPQODE delivered the product on time and within our budget. They continually brought our attention to what needed to be done and asked for our feedback at every stage of development. We never felt like they resisted our ideas and suggestions. It was a pleasant cooperation. 

We liked that they took the lead in terms of project management. They used an automated system to keep us on track along with ActiveCollab, which provided a level of transparency to our communications. Apart from emails, we also had a weekly call with the project manager where we would sync up, check in on our progress, and forward any change requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing I liked about UPQODE is that they tried to get me to where I wanted to go. Unlike with other companies, there was no pushback from them if I wanted something done differently. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could’ve done better. We are very happy with how they worked with us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It helps to have an idea of what your ultimate goal is. I think the reason we were so successful with UPQODE was that we knew what kind of website we wanted from the get-go.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the marketing manager for Cloudoki and API Suite. Cloudoki is a European tech projects company crafting mobile, API ecosystems, IoT and web solutions for clients. Our new product, API Suite, will allow companies to set up their very own enterprise-level Developer Portal and Integrations Marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

API Suite is a brand new standalone product offering from the Cloudoki brand. As such we hired UPQODE to help us develop its own branded website.

SOLUTION

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

We chose this vendor based on their portfolio of work, understanding of our needs and great interactions with them team prior to setting up the project.

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

We had a kick off call to begin the project following which a majority of communication was done via email and Google Docs. The team led by Olha was amazing in prompt responses and letting us know project deliverables and progress at all points throughout. We supplied a majority of the design files from one of our key vendors and in turn UPQODE created a wordpress design built to these specifics. They assisted with questions such as future localization plans as well as advised on pagnation etc.

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

Our main point of contact was Olha who was our project manager - We highly recommend.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently awaiting deployment of the website so we do not have any measurables just yet to share.

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

Olha was amazing for keeping the team and I informed of key moments throughout the project. They were always on hand to answer any questions, provide suggestions, and update the team and I in a clear and precise manner.

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

We really adore the look of our upcoming website — we cannot wait to see it go live!

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

None that I could think off - Olha was amazing for keeping up to speed with emails and queries. Perhaps a slack or messaging channel may help future projects with communication (we know how packed peoples email inboxes can get these days and sometimes our team members did no see recieved mails) - but we had no lapses in communication for this project, just a thought for the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior Graphic Designer and I work for a design studio that specializes is brand development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired UPQODE to develop a website for one of our clients. Our client is in the middle of a rebrand and needed a brand new website to reflect these changes. Our goals were to modernize the website in order to bring in more traffic thus increasing sales.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor based off of previous successful projects we've worked on with them.

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

The beginning of the process was handled by different members of my team, but I took over during the development phase. Design files were provided to the development team as well as requested apps and the template and I worked with the developers in stages to get all pages developed.

Once all development and testing was complete, they assisted in migrating the website and troubleshooting any fixes we needed resolved. The key deliverable was the website.

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

The project manager was my main point of contact and other project managers were on calls and emails. In addition, two different developers worked on the website itself.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is certainly easier to navigate and has a much better appearance. It is too soon after launch to be able to provide any measurable data.

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

UPQODE was very timely and always stuck to the original timeline that was provided. We communication via email and ActiveCollab and never had an issue reaching them. Their communication was very clear and on time.

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

I was most impressed with UPQODE's excellent communication and willingness to help us with our problems.

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

Overall this project was very successful and they followed extremely close to our design files we provided. There were a few minor inconsistencies on the website with text size/spacing/case, but were always willing to fix when I brought to their attention.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Foothold Technology offers web-based software for human service providers that eases the burden of documentation, providing the freedom to focus on their mission. More than 1,000 agencies nationwide count on Foothold’s AWARDS software to manage and bill for their services. AWARDS is ideal for virtually all human services, including Mental Health, Alcohol & Substance Abuse, Developmental Disabilities, Homeless & Housing, Employment & Training, Seniors, Youth & Family, and more.

Having originated from three agencies in 2000, AWARDS is a complete Electronic Health Record (EHR) that also supports administrative activities, including facilities maintenance, human resources, scheduling and alerts, audit reports, and automated billing. AWARDS is fully interoperable with other federally certified systems for participation in Health Information Exchanges (HIE), and is the only record-keeping system that is certified as both a Behavioral Health EHR and a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

For more information, visit www.footholdtechnology.com. Website https://footholdtechnology.com Industry Software Development Company size 51-200 employees Includes members with current employer listed as Foothold Technology, including part-time roles. Headquarters New York, NY Founded 2000 Position - Digital Growth Lead

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

Custom UI/UX Website Design and Web Development

SOLUTION

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

Another business recommended UPQODE to us as a team of creative web designers and reliable Website developers.

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

1. Discovery/Planning Phase
2. UI/UX Website Design Phase (including Wireframes, Mockups, Web Style Guide)
3. Website Development (FrontEnd and Backend Coding)
4. Quality Assurance in including (Functional, Responsive, Security Testing)
5. Third-Party Integrations
6. Website Deployment
7. Post Migration Checks

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

We worked with one Web Project Manager who communicated well. Regarding backend and frontend tasks, we interacted directly with the skilled developers on their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Final Output - https://footholdtechnology.com/ UPQODE designed, developed, optimized, configured, and then launched our new website and most importantly within the agreed-upon deadline. Our project mainly focused on UX/UI Custom Website Design and WordPress Development.

Their web designers developed a new visual identity. They provided us with a complete backend solution. They created a unique and creative web design that was just what we were looking for.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The web project manager assigned to our project communicated well informing us about the progress of development via the ActiveCollab tool. I have appreciated the workflow they organized via ActiveCollab and they suggested using an agile project management methodology.

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

UPQODE delivered custom outstanding UI/UX website design and an impressive website. We were impressed with their excellent communication.

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

Our communication truly worked both ways. They competently completed our project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in marketing at a recycling company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website hadn't been updated for several years and we were looking to redesign it. We wanted it to look modern, fresh, and provide information on what our company does.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed over ten vendors, and UPQODE was the most knowledgable, responsive, and their portfolio was the most impressive. All of the websites they cited as examples of their work looked amazined.

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

They redesigned and developed our website from scratch for WordPress, providing us with opportunities for input every step of he way.

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

We worked with a team from UPQODE, including project managers, designers, and developers. All team members were extremely competent, efficient, and talented.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was completely modernized and traffic increased. The site looks amazing and the team at UPQODE created a website that far surpassed our expectations.

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

They managed the project via WPTask, and communicated with us via email and Zoom. They were immediately responsive to any emails, edits, or tasks added and every deadline was met easily.

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

The team at UPQODE was an incredible combination of talented and responsive. From design to development, they knocked each stage out of the park and made our surpassed all of our expectations. At the same time, they were an absolute pleasure to work with - so kind, responsive, flexible, and really concerned with making sure our needs were met.

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

I can't think of anything they could have done better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project leader for a growth strategy consultancy firm and we provide market research and strategy for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UPQODE?

We were looking to reinvent our brand in the marketplace, so we wanted someone to provide us with web development and design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UPQODE presented us with their proposal for the redevelopment and redesign of our website, and they’ve since been our primary web development provider.

Our main build platform is WordPress, and we’re also utilizing ActiveCollab and InVision as our primary development tools.

We’re continuing to work with them on a maintenance capacity, and for the monthly delivery of SEO analytics.

What is the team composition?

We have two project managers as our main points of contact, a designer, and several developers.

How did you come to work with UPQODE?

I wasn’t part of the initial search process, but I believe we found them through online research and referrals.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been seeing an uptick in website traffic and longer engagement since launching the platform last week.

In addition, everyone in our company has been extremely happy with the overall professional look of the site, so the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

How did UPQODE perform from a project management standpoint?

Their ability to communicate is good, as we’re consistently in contact with them on a daily basis to make sure I’m aware of the progress of their tasks.

They’re very upfront about additional costs and needs, and they always provide us with timeline updates throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were very impressed with their initial proposal, which is why we ended up choosing them for this project in the first place. They went above and beyond in terms of providing recommendations on how we can improve our website, and they gave great solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One area of improvement is they could be more direct when it comes to giving recommendations from a design perspective. Otherwise, they’re very receptive to our feedback, so I can’t really complain that much.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise having open dialogues and communication in order to get the most out of your engagement with UPQODE. Discuss your projects in great detail so it’s easier to get the message across.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a small branding design firm called Square One Design as a Creative Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Upqode to develop a Shopify website based on a theme that we designed/customized for our client.

SOLUTION

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

We found Upqode through reviewing their profile on Upwork.

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

I met with Valentin Pasecinic to discuss the project, answer any questions, and walk through the screen designs in detail. We then received a project proposal that we approved. All of our designs were handed off to development through Zeplin.

Upqode set up an ActiveCollab project to keep me involved and send me page links when ready to review. I could provide feedback until the page was approved. Once the project was completed they provided a GoogleDoc of site documentation that we reviewed all together with the client to answer any final questions before final site handoff. They answered all of our questions and updated the documentation accordingly.

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

I mostly had one point person that I worked with directly, Olha Biletska, who is a Digital Creator and Web Project Manager at Upqode. Through the ActiveCollab project I would be interacting with project developers regarding changes. The lead developer on that front was Pavlo Artyshuk and he was very accommodating.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site still needs to be populated but I can say that the visual design was executed almost flawless upon the first review. The Upqode team definitely pays attention to detail and is able to get final designs nearly perfect on the first try.

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

Upqode used ActiveCollab to track project tasks and give me transparency into their process. Olha would check in with me on a regular basis regarding reviews to make sure the project stayed on track.

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

Their attention to detail and execution of the development build was great. I had very minimal feedback when reviewing developed page designs and any revisions I did have were executed in a timely manner.

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

The only issue we ran into with the project was enabling the theme which was causing the site to be live to the public before it was ready to launch. Since I wasn't as familiar with Shopify and that enabling the theme would publish the site I was very surprised to see it was live.

I think just clearly communicating and educating clients on the implications of certain actions they might not be aware of so they have all the information they need to make an educated decision.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Casechek is a software company that automates the healthcare implant supply chain. I serve as the Senior Marketing Manager at the organization and worked directly with UPQODE in developing a new corporate website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired UPQODE to develop a new corporate website that fits with our new brand.

SOLUTION

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

UPQODE's experience in working with customers such as Casechek was what set them apart from the competition. Without any experience in-house, we needed an agency who could walk us through each step of the process and be our guiding light.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we met the project team. From there, we started building out each page's design and once the design was approved, the development work started. Along the way, we obtained customer illustrations and icons as well as a new style guide we can use for other marketing collaterals. We used Active Collab and Calendly to meet with UPQODE directly and the migration process via cloudways was a breez.

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

We worked closely with the project manager, Uliana and a few developers from time to time. Uliana was an INCREDIBLE project manager. She was always on top of all the moving pieces and was truly the voice of the customer when going back to meet with her developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website, which just went live two weeks ago, has already received tons of praise from our network. We're excited to continue to explore ways to optimize our new site!

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

We had weekly meetings with UPQODE as needed to discuss all the latest design updates, development progress, etc.

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

The most impressive feature of UPQODE is their outstanding customer support. We would be lost without Uliana and the development team in creating a website from scratch.

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

The transition from the sales process to active project was a bit bumpy. Sierra, our sales contact, had stated that she'd be apart of the project as another manager, however, when I would call her and ask questions in the beginning, I did not hear back from her. Also, Sierra communicated that the team was based out of Nashville and Austin, Texas. The team is in fact based out of Ukraine, which is not an issue whatsoever, just would have been nice to know that going into the project!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder and vice president for Fitride Labs - a start up in the health and fitness industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to create a lifestyle x e-com website that was clearly able to show the brand that we are whilst also being shopping friendly for consumers.

SOLUTION

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

We went through a rigorous process of looking at various developers within and outside India (Where the start up in based out of). We came through upqode during one of our searches and their experience, delivery timelines and willingness to work on this project were clear reasons why we ended up working with them.

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

The scope of work was to create a shopify customer website which included multiple things. Our homepage had an always playin video in the background and lots of animations through the website that made it look much better. The product pages were also customised based on our needs and look exactly like we intended it to be. The upqode team set up tasks in active collab and followed a strict schedule on timelines and deliverables to complete the project.

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

We have both co-founders helping us out on the project in addition to our key account manager and a couple of developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we still arent live with the start ups business activities, however offline feedback for the website has been on point. All things were delivered exactly as we had visualised. Post development training was excellent as well.

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

The team used active collab to schedule calls and the tool was updated with daily deliverables along with timelines. Automated emailing was set up too to ensure communication was seamless.

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

The experience of the team and speed to delivery was the extremely impressive. The website that was delivered has been very easy to update,

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

The team was brilliant in every aspect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UPQODE?

Our existing website needed a fresh look and branding. We were wanting a cleaner UI/UX and added capabilities for our website. It had to look good and also work for our growing needs

SOLUTION

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

We looked around and approached several companies before selecting UPQODE. They took the time to understand our needs and presented a very detailed scope of work and timeline. They were very good at communication and responsiveness.

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

All pages were designed in a very collaborative fashion, giving us full access to all the key design phrases.

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

We worked with a Project Manager who was excellent and very adept at handling all our requests. Other team members were very efficient as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall we are very happy with the look and feel of our site and its functionality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

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

Upqode is a great partner to work with, they are excellent at what they do.

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

Yes, there is always room to improve but we are very satisfied with our end product and to date, we continue to use them for our site maintenance. We are very happy with their work. We like the fact that we can trust them and build a long-term relationship for mutual benefit.