Wakefly, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the first VP and director of digital marketing for an independent community bank. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?          

We needed someone to do a website redesign of both of our websites. We had a website for our brick-and-mortar bank and our online-only bank. Both websites were on an older version of Kentico, and we needed a company with the expertise to migrate to the new Kentico Experience 13. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned both of our websites using Kentico Experience 13, and they provide ongoing security monitoring for the website as well. Wakefly, Inc. conducts monthly health checks on the website.

What is the team composition? 

There was a project management team, and we always had at least three dedicated people on the phone calls that we could rely on or get in touch with. Their CEO also popped in on calls occasionally, which was really awesome. 

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

We did some research on companies that had a great reputation for working with Kentico Experience 13. Wakefly, Inc., was one of the top ones we came across. On Kentico’s website, they even list Wakefly, Inc. as a preferred partner. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $250,000. We have a monthly agreement with them as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between June–August 2022. However, we keep Wakefly, Inc. on a retainer, so we consider the overall work ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been a wonderful help to us even after the website redesign for our brick-and-mortar site was completed in August 2022. Overall, we’ve been very satisfied with the websites. They were built with a level of flexibility that we’ve never experienced before. 

We’ve made a whole host of changes on our own which is amazing because we don’t have to tap into our retainer. Wakefly, Inc. built these websites in a way that makes it easy for us to make robust changes on our side. 

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive. We have a resource to put in tickets and get a quick reply. We use Zoom and email. During the website development, we had weekly calls on Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re flexible and never give us a hard time if we had a last-minute change. They’re very agreeable, easy to work with, and they meet deadlines. Wakefly, Inc. was very knowledgeable. We understand why they’re touted as Kentico Experience 13 experts because they know the platform like the back of their hand.

When mistakes do come up, they take complete ownership. Wakefly, Inc. is friendly, professional, and a pleasure to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It can be confusing that we have so many people who are our points of contact. We do have a solid project manager, but there have been times it’s a little confusing around precisely which of those three people we should escalate issues to. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them to do what they’re experts at. They do a great job of listening to exactly what the client wants, but ultimately, the designs they come up with were their own. There were things we never could have come up with on our own. Don’t be afraid to let them know you want something different because that’s what we did, and they've been up to the challenge. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO for a credit union company that serves the five counties around Philadelphia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

We were looking to improve our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wakefly, Inc. supports our website programming and helps us with security and digital advertising. They don’t do the cost or content; they just monitor performance. Also, they’ve done some things for our website redesign and incorporated more opportunities for engagement.

We meet every two weeks to discuss what we’re looking for. Then, they use that to build an audience for our advertising. Finally, we decide whether we want to adjust it based on their monitoring.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with several people. Right now, we’re working with a paid media strategist, a senior project manager, and a client manager.

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

We sent out an RFP to 7–8 companies and selected them out of that process. We were looking for somebody that could handle the CMS that we used because our site was already on it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $36,000 for paid media and $150,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2019. They’re on a retainer, so it’s an ongoing process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No, we don’t have anything. We’re short-staffed right now, so we can’t think ahead.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a meeting every two weeks through a conference call. Overall, they’ve been great at responding when we have issues and informing us about what’s going on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work with a variety of financial institutions and understand the unique challenges we face in this industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We need them to be more proactive and suggest what we should be doing or trends they see in the industry. Since our staff is small, we don’t have time to keep up on those issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet regularly with them, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. In general, push them to come up with the best solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a statewide oncology practice based in Florida.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

We were looking to upgrade and redo our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Wakefly made a full discovery assessment of our current site and looked for recommendations on how we could enhance and evolve its functionality. Then, they developed a new WordPress site from scratch per our request so that it would be easier for us to make changes and update it in the future without the need of developers and designers.

What is the team composition?

We had a main project manager and two different account managers involved in our weekly communications.

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

We launched an RFP to which many companies replied. Wakefly ultimately won the project assignment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together towards the Q4 of 2020, and we launched the site in August 2021. Although we don’t work with them on a daily basis anymore because the project is complete, we’ve kept them on a safety retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we launched the site, we’ve had 550,000 visitors, and we’ve had over 25% more visitors per month than we had with our previous site. Our page sessions have also gone up, and many people are spending more time per page, averaging a 6–8-minute time on site. Additionally, our bounce rate is now 25% less than before. Overall, those are great metrics; everything is trending upward, reaching our desired results.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Wakefly had a very strong and robust project management process. They always strived to keep us on track with the timeline and helped us troubleshoot any problem. Throughout the project, we had some unique challenges regarding some pieces of data related to the old functionality. However, they were very patient and very good at working with us to navigate through those scenarios.

We used Google Docs and Sheets to manage the project timelines and milestones. Additionally, we had Google Meet meetings weekly, and we exchanged emails throughout the project as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Wakefly’s creativity was strong, and their creative director and creative team members were impressive; I wish I had had more of those resources throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear from start to finish about your requirements, including those involved in launching the site. We would have liked to better understand what the final product launch would be like and what the end of our relationship would be like, but it wasn't their fault.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior web editor of United Women in Faith, a member-driven nonprofit organization, so I run and manage our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

We needed help with website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Throughout many years, Wakefly has provided web development services and maintenance for our website. When they initially joined, we already had an almost complete website, but they made a lot of changes, including implementing a completely new appearance to the landing page seamlessly. Their involvement has also included creating blackout home pages, making changes to the CMS, implementing pop-up overlays, improving the navigation, and creating a password login process.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Mark (Senior Project Manager), John (Customer Success Manager), and Sarah Smith (Project Manager). Additionally, they’ve brought in web developers as needed.

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

My predecessor hired Wakefly, whom she found doing research.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around November 2013, and our engagement is ongoing. We’ve had a good working relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although the website that Wakefly helped us develop and update throughout the years is now gone, we constantly saw a steadily increasing number of visitors. In 2019, we reached over a million views on our home page. Overall, they’ve exceeded our expectations, and we’re 100% satisfied with their work.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Wakefly’s project management is excellent. We communicate via phone calls, emails, and Zoom meetings. They’re very communicative and open, and they always keep us updated and aware of delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Wakefly has done more than what we asked for, and they’ve always been extremely responsive. They also offer incredibly fast turnaround times and respond to our requests within hours. Additionally, they deliver great work and give us amazing recommendations. Overall, they’re very pleasurable and personable to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that Wakefly could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get in touch with Wakefly and talk to them in person. They’re very personable and relationship-oriented.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the corporate communications manager for Fortune Brands Home & Security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

We needed someone to design, develop, and host our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wakefly, Inc. provided us with web hosting, design, and development. We started the project by having a conversation about our scope and requirements before going to the actual design and development processes.

They used WordPress as their main development platform and worked very closely with our team and creative director to mark up the site. They also implemented several technical plugins and set up our Google Analytics dashboard before officially launching.

What is the team composition?

We worked with John (Customer Success Manager), Sandy (Senior Project Manager), Tim (Creative Director & Partner).

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

Our relationship with Wakefly, Inc. preceded this project and my time at Fortune Brands, but we decided to stay with them when we were evaluating different options for vendors because we thought they were the best provider for us moving forward.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $100,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While I don’t have any metrics to share, Wakefly, Inc. worked really hard to help us customize our site to tell our story, brand, and culture. There are a lot of custom features that impact our organization on the site, including a career search map that’s both beautiful and highly technical.

They’ve expanded our ability to show the world who we are and made it easier for people to find us.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Sandy worked incredibly well to keep us and the Wakefly, Inc. team on schedule. We were on a very tight timeline and if it wasn’t for her attention to detail and professionalism, this project wouldn’t have gone smoothly as it did.

We primarily communicated through Zoom, email, and Google Chat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We liked that they worked so well as a cohesive team because I never had to worry about the progress of the project. They kept us updated and worked through every issue throughout the partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took some time to align our scope with their technical department, and there were issues earlier in the process that could’ve been handled better but other than that, they did a phenomenal job overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For any web development project, I would advise planning in advance and being more prepared so you can go the distance sooner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a company that makes video safety and telematics solutions for commercial fleets. It’s a dash cam for commercial vehicles that plugs into the engine control module and ultimately records video to help coach and train drivers to be safer. I’m a digital marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

We've always kept a development partner because we don’t have those skills in-house, so we keep Wakefly, Inc. on retainer. They’re responsible for all the backend and frontend code on our website, which allows me as a website admin to do other CMS-level tasks on my own. They're key to solving our business challenge of increasing the number of marketing qualified leads from our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Projects range from something as simple as updating modules on a page, to more complex as redeploying content to our servers. They do a wide range of things to help us convert leads on our site, like improving site speed and improving the usability of the CMS for us. 

In the last year, they helped us relaunch our website. It was a big project and we provided the design and they implemented it.

What is the team composition?

I work with Nick (Project Manager) and Jackie (Customer Success Manager) to strategize and prioritize website projects. At any given time, we have 1–2 dedicated developers on our project and will spread out the work to a third developer if needed.

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

We were working with another development agency that was inconsistent and slow. It was important that we find an agency that is gold-certified in Kentico. We did a little bit of research before coming across Wakefly, Inc.

How much have you invested with them?

We just signed our third retainer renewal for $60,000. We definitely added some in our gap retainers, so we’ve probably spent about $260,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017 and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped relaunch a site that would attract more MQLs and make it easier for them to convert. Year over year, we had a 55% increase in web form completion. Ultimately, that means 55% more leads in our pipeline, so that’s big news.

Anecdotally, we don’t send a lot of things back to them to be redone. Once they develop something, we don’t usually see a lot of problems with it. With other partners in the past, we’ve had to go through multiple rounds of edits. A large part of it has to do with the expertise on their team. They’re very accommodating, so we throw a lot of things at them. They always handle it very well.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Redmine is the project management tool that they use. I can submit any development tickets and they’re good about catching everything. They touch a bit of everything every day. The communication is frequent and effective. They have a project manager and an account rep, and it’s easy for me to communicate with both of them so everyone is on the same page. We are clearly represented by a really good team from Wakefly, Inc. We have weekly calls, they’re super organized,  and we go through everything that’s outstanding in their project management system. They accept any new project requests then as well, so those calls are very productive. Our project manager is always willing to make suggestions that will make the project easier. They always have productivity and efficiency in mind.

We also worked with a third-party creative agency for our redesign, and Wakefly, Inc. handled that in stride

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise with Kentico. They’re always in the know about necessary updates and are on top of anything related to our CMS.

I’ve also worked with other companies where the project manager hasn’t understood all of the technology behind a website. However, our account managers at Wakefly, Inc. have both been very knowledgeable and acted as a great first-resource when we have questions. Sometimes we don’t need to work with a developer directly because our account manager can walk me through the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That’s a hard question because I don’t have a lot of negative feedback. There was a brief period when they weren’t developing as quickly as we liked because of their developer bandwidth. I had to proactively go to them to figure out these timing issues. So, I guess you could say they could be more proactive when it comes to communicating negative things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set ground rules early about how you want to communicate and how often.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Community State Bank as the Marketing Manager. We are a small hometown bank with 7 locations looking to expand and rebrand this Summer to stay competitive.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wakefly, Inc.?

We hired Wakefly to rebrand and refresh our Website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a cleaner more updated look that provided better content and resources to out customer and attract new customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After lots of research and phone interviews with different web designers. Wakefly seemed to be the best fit for us over all. Talking with them they really cared about what they were doing for us and strategically lined up.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They are providing a full Web design for us.

What was the team composition?

We dealt with Sean at the beginning until we signed the contract and then we were given 3 individual so far that has been helping us through the design portion. We also dealt with IT members on some things if we need some extra clarification.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

From the start we were very impressed with how they brought our vision to life with the designs so far. They are very diligent in setting up meeting and making sure we are all on the same page.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The Project Manager was very helpful in getting us answers when we needed it. She is great at keeping in contact and letting us know what is in the works.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Just the thoroughness of listening to our vision and strategic goals and bringing it to life was amazing. They took the time to hear what we wanted and didn't waste time making that happen.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing to complain about we have been happy with our choice of going with Wakefly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bay State Savings Bank is the only mutual savings bank headquarted in Worcester, where we've been since 1895. We take great pride in being the communities bank of choice, and are constantly improving the services we offer to further satisfy our customers. My current job title is Marketing and Human Resources Assistant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wakefly, Inc.?

We hired Wakefly to help us redesign our website. It was outdated and needed a complete refresh and redesign, which is exactly what the entire team at Wakefly helped us achieve.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals for this project were to make the website project a much cleaner look and feel, allowing for customers and potential customers to find what they were looking for with ease. We wanted this new website to not only look better, but also work better. With the help of Wakefly, not only the look and overall organization of our website improved, but the speed of our website drastically improved as well.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor through a series of interviews. We contacted other web design companies, as well as their references, however Wakefly was the clear winner. They are close to us geographically, which made us feel good to know if something wasn't being explained to our/their satisfaction over the phone, we could schedule an in person meeting with minimal to no inconvenience. The price Wakefly charged was also something we could work into our budget. Their references providing phenomenal feedback about their team, as well as their work. Overall, all signs pointed to Wakefly and we are so happy we choose to work with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was a website redesign. We wanted the website to have higher functioning speeds, while also allowing more eye catching photos. We requested a better work flow to allow customers and prospective customers an enhanced browsing experience. We also wanted the website to be extremely user friendly to account for our wide age range customer base.

What was the team composition?

The lead on this project was Mark Sloop, assisted by Jeannine Szymczak, Mirek Cymer and Dean Dorazio. Mid way through the project, Mark needed to take some unexpected time away from work. During this time Jeannine acted as project lead. Even during the transition period, everything stayed on track and exceeded our wildest dreams in regards to not only customer service, but also the content that was developed for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We don't have the results just yet, but the new website has generated a lot of positive feedback from our customers, employees, board members, directors, and corporators. The new design of the website has definitely played a role in helping us further satisfy our customers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was spectacular. They never missed a deadline, and made sure to stay on top of us when we needed to give them an answer regarding current or future work. The relationship we formed with the staff at Wakefly seemed to work very well on both sides, and greatly helped the success of this project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What was most impressive about this company was that they never stopped until we were satisfied. If we thought we wanted/didn't want something in the beginning, but later realized we made the wrong decision, the Wakefly team never told us "to bad." Instead, they worked with us until we were satisfied, every single time, which was extremely valued and appreciated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. Outstanding team and services!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Shaw Sports Turf is the leader among synthetic turf companies and is the largest American-owned and American-made synthetic turf company in the world. Shaw Sports Turf has demonstrated industry leadership in both quality and innovation for more than two decades with over 3,000 successful installations, and an impressive list of high-profile installations, including the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays and many others.

Engineered for performance and safety, Shaw Sports Turf features a product line designed specifically to meet the needs of athletes and sports programs. I am our Marketing Manager handling everything advertising/promotional, brand related, web/social, collateral and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wakefly, Inc.?

We've hired Wakefly for several project including web design/development, but also our digital marketing campaigns

What were your goals for this project?

Increase brand awareness

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had already worked with them on our website and felt like they were a good fit. Personality wise, ease of contact and price were all factors that led us to select them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope included digital marketing strategy, creating the ads, placing the ads and overall management of the progress. They set up monthly meetings to keep us abreast of the results and any new developments.

What was the team composition?

There were about 3 team members involved, a developer, project manager and account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic to the website has improved and our web presence has improved

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, they are extremely responsive

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of their work and their responsiveness set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of strategic market support for Ottawa University. We are a private, four-year university for liberal arts studies, and we’re headquartered just outside of Ottawa, Kansas. We have additional campuses in Milwaukee, Louisville, Kansas City, and Phoenix. My responsibilities include restructuring and revamping our website as needed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly, Inc.?

I inherited the webmaster duties about five years ago, and the previous webmaster had made the decision to implement Kentico software because of how comprehensive it was. I brought on Wakefly because I felt that we weren’t getting the full usage out of it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been using Wakefly for various development projects over the years. I’m hoping to start using them for content marketing, SEO, and other related services if I can get approval from our CMO.

What is the team composition?

Mark (Web Project Manager, Wakefly, Inc.) has been working on our account for the last ten years, and Greg (Web Developer, Wakefly, Inc.) is our leading developer. I’ve spoken with a few other developers about specific features and projects.

How did you come to work with Wakefly, Inc.?

The previous webmaster came across Wakefly while looking for firms that were familiar with Kentico. That set them apart from most of the other providers that we knew of in our area. Finding a team that understood Kentico was our main priority at the time because we had just purchased it.

How much have you invested in them?

We’re currently paying a $4,000 per month retainer fee, and we’ve been doing that for the past three years. Before that, we were spending about $3,000 per month. We started out pricing everything based on one-off projects, but by the second year, we’d set up a payment schedule for maintenance activities, and that turned into a retainer contract during the third year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them since 2009, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There was a situation where an agency we hired didn’t pan out, and Mark was able to bail us out. We handed him a set of designs through our maintenance contract, and he completely redid our site without charging us for a separate project. We’ve also seen higher form completion rates year over year. This past year, we jumped from 20% to 25%. 

I think the synergy that comes from our leadership team knowing that the website is designed well—and that we are getting more out of it from a business point of view as far as maximizing the number of inquiries—is exciting. I’m excited about it because we’ve never had a coordinated approach; our digital strategy used to be fragmented among different companies.

How did Wakefly, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I feel spoiled because Mark gets back to me so quickly. I don’t know that I could work with anyone else at this point. He has set such a high standard and functions like an internal employee.

Mark knows our account so well that he can handle the day to day tasks on his own. He’s been working on the account longer than most of our team members have. He and Greg bring in other programmers on occasion, but they’re my main points of contact.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate the fact that Wakefly brings experience from other industries to the table. I also like how receptive they’ve been to the idea of taking on our digital marketing efforts. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve done everything that we’ve asked them to do. I’m sure they’ve been frustrated with us at times because of how our internal struggles have hindered them. I do foresee that changing soon, with us moving towards a point where they'll be doing more work for us, which is what they want.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The key to having a good relationship is to maintain open communication with your point person. Make sure that you’re comfortable with whoever is managing the project because they’re the one that you’ll have to go to when you’re dealing with issues.