WestLink

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of SwapIt Fast LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Online reverse marketplace

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build Online WebApp
• Establish Vendor and Buyer registration capabilities
• Integrate tools to connect Vendors with Buyers

SOLUTION

How did you find WestLink?

Clutch Site

Why did you select WestLink over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Visionary Leadership

How many teammates from WestLink were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Built a WebApp interface that allows Buyers to make requests for items they are looking for and have that request find Vendors who's profiles contain key words to the request.
• Send email notifications to Vendors when a match is made, send email notifications to Buyers when a Vendor responds.
• Allow for the Vendor and Buyer to connect via private chat.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch of the product without functional issues and quick response/support for any technical issues.

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

The entire team was timely in every aspect and delivered exactly what was agreed to. Always done in a very professional manner.

What was your primary form of communication with WestLink?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They provided key insight to our objectives, professionally challenged the direction, and applied their team's expertise to develop the right product.

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

We continue working with WestLink because the collaboration between our companies is the best we've ever encountered. No areas for improvement at this point, everything has gone completely as expected.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of Marketing for True Spec Golf as well as Fairway Jockey. True Spec Golf is a premium custom club fitting company with 25+ locations worldwide and Fairway Jockey is an online custom golf shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed assistance in managing and creating automated email journeys in our Salesforce Marketing Cloud account. Our goal is to improve our customer experience by continuing to update our automated email flows.

SOLUTION

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

They came highly recommended and now we clearly see why.

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

Jane has been an incredible help to us in so many ways that it would be impossible to list them all here. One instance that specifically comes to mind was when we decided to switch customer survey companies and she spearheaded the Salesforce integration. She had the daunting task of making sure all survey responses from the new platform would properly populate into each customer's Salesforce record.

There are a number of fields that need to populate correctly like the specific location of the club fitting, would they recommend us to others, was the location clean, was it easy to find, was the fitter helpful and knowledgeable, etc. It was a sizable project of great importance and she handled it quickly and executed it flawlessly.

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

I worked with Jane directly on this project and she was exceptional. Any project we send her way she handles with the utmost professionalism and expertise. We also work with Pavel on a regular basis and can't say enough good things about him as well. He always acts swiftly and always executes the task with efficiently. Both are a tremendous help to our organizations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Speaking to the customer survey integration specifically, our club fitters are now able to easily find responses to each customer's pre-fitting survey which helps them to better prepare for their upcoming fitting. Now that our post fitting surveys automatically populate to each customer's record, our entire team can easily see what each customer has said about their overall experience and find that information in one consolidated place.

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

Communication with the Westlink team is outstanding. When outlining action items that we need to perform on our side, the steps are always detailed and typically include screenshots to help us better understand how to execute the task. When we communicate a task to them, they often respond with necessary follow up questions in order to ensure they know exactly what is being requested of them. Both Jane & Pavel respond to our project requests quickly via email or Slack and always take action swiftly. This is greatly appreciated.

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

Jane and Pavel are both incredibly knowledgeable and I would go as far to say they are both experts in their field. We are privileged to have their assistance on a regular basis.

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

No. Truly we could not ask anything more of the Westlink team. They're wonderful to work with and were extremely helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a startup FMCG company selling (until now) a single product OTC anti-itch cream called Dermeleve. We employ a somewhat unique sales model where we sell into doctor offices and also online using an e-commerce affiliate tool called everflow.io, which allows the docs to sample and refer product but not have to carry inventory and make a sale if they don't want to.

I'm the President of the company and founder and driver of the digital efforts. We have a great team on the ground now putting the product in doctors' hands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a false start with our custom website and wasted an entire year and $60,000 on a developer who did not deliver. WestLink came in and saved us under a very urgent time pressure by rebuilding the whole site and a bunch of custom coding interactions on the backend. They continue as our ongoing outsourced development team as we begin to run digital marketing and add functionality to the site.

SOLUTION

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

I was referred to one of their principles by a mutual contact. I was looking for a reputable firm with a referral I could rely on because we were in a bind with a tight deadline.

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

Rebuild back-end of website on Wordpress and skin with existing artwork/design. Building some custom logic for our unique use case and integration with Everflow. Other tools used

• Woocommerce
• Stripe
• Avatax
• Synder for quickbooks integration.

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

Project was overseen by one of the executives. I don't know how many developers were working on the primary sprint, but there were probably 3 and a project manager in between. Ongoing I have a project manager and one or two developers completing our weekly checklists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nothing specific except that everything was delivered as expected.

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

We use Slack and email. They're responsive on our slack channel, and pretty much everything goes through there. Timelines and budgets are done in Excel and pretty easy to interpret, and they've been accurate.

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

They are very flexible in the manner in which they work. They are accurate and professional in presenting timelines and budgets, but also were able to switch to an ad-hoc basis where it's pretty much on demand as needed which is really helpful for us.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Mac Sports Health, a health edtech platform that aims to empower people to live their best lives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WestLink?

We were trying to do 1.0 tech build, and for that, we hired WestLink.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to create a functional product for our first customer, so WestLink developed the backend of our MVP. At the start of the project, our MVP only had a frontend.

What is the team composition?

There were about 4–5 people assigned to the project — that included the CEO, the project manager, and several tech developers.

How did you come to work with WestLink?

We had put some bids out, but Roddy (Founder & CEO) was specifically referred by one of our advisors, so we decided to give WestLink a shot.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from June 2021–March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With WestLink’s help, we were able to launch the product and conduct a successful ten-week trial period with our customers. 

How did WestLink perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. We had weekly to biweekly meetings, and we communicated regularly via Slack, email, or phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WestLink has a very agile team. They’re able to understand how something is supposed to be done, and they can execute that from start to finish. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is true for anyone and isn’t at all specific to Westlink: any team working on a project similar to this should always make sure that the vision is accurately represented in the scope. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to talk to Roddy and keep him engaged fully throughout the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and former CEO of ButlerBox. We provided cleaning services for luxury multifamily buildings and classic office buildings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WestLink?

We hired them to build our mobile app, online presence, and digital strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a discovery call with WestLink where I told them what I needed, and they asked questions about the product. From there, they put together the entire blueprint for building our local app for Android and iOS. The app allowed users to place orders, check the delivery status, and keep their order history. Additionally, the team provided us with app store optimization (ASO) and marketing services. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Roddy (Founder & CEO) and Alina (QA Engineer). 

How did you come to work with WestLink?

We found them through a referral and did some research.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2015–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was satisfied with WestLink’s work — they were great. We had about 4,600 customers using our app. Although we found a few bugs during the testing phase that they fixed, there were none once we launched the app. 

How did WestLink perform from a project management standpoint?

They were perfect at project management; everything was on budget and delivered on time. We communicated via phone calls, emails, and text messages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with WestLink’s professionalism, knowledge, resources, expertise, and capabilities. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There wasn’t anything they needed to improve. They could open an office in Los Angeles, though!

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise having an idea of what you’re looking for ahead of time. That way, WestLink can help provide feedback or suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Spray Valet is a mobile spray tanning company based in LA, Miami and Las Vegs. I am the CEO & Founder of Spray Valet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Spray Valet got to a point where we wanted to scale but needed the correct tech to do that. Westlink custom-built our mobile app and website so we could scale and have an app that fit all our internal and external needs. Also, has helped with all backend managment.

SOLUTION

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

Westlink was a recommendation from a friend. After having a conversation, that went so easy, I knew it felt like the right fit.

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

Starting with a new logo and branding, then a whole mock-up of the app both on the clients and admin side, and a reworking and redesign of our website. With time we added new features to the app and worked with the project manager to execute them. We have on-going updates and tweaks as the business grows and they tackle very well.

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

My main form of contact was with the project manager. But have many developers and designers on the back end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients loved our app! So many of our clients were so impressed with us going from a small business vibe to having such an amazing app! We now have the ability to scale to the size we want with technology and marketing that supports this growth.

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

The project managers I worked with communicated to me everything I needed to know and was looking for. I have 2 different project managers and both have been great and extremly helpful and patient.

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

I have been able to articulate my needs and wants and they have been supportive and helpful in suggesting ways to make those needs the best they can be.

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

We had some bug issues with our app updates but they have always worked very hard to tackle issues and communicate with me a solution.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Kebon. We partner with female-owned coffee companies and growers to sell their coffee in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We work with WestLink to design and build our e-commerce site through which we sell direct to consumer and wholesale coffee. Our goal was to create a beautiful, informative and functioning site, which we now have thanks to WestLink.

SOLUTION

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

We chose WestLink based on their design skills, collaborative working style, past projects and cost estimate.

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

We had a kick-off call after which we designed wire frames for the site, reviewed functionality and optimization. We went through a few design iterations before choosing the right base for our WordPress site.

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

We have a point of contact who is our go-to, he is incredibly responsive, collaborative and an absolute pleasure to work with. We also have worked with a designer and an SEO specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a new business, our site is our most important presence. It has worked well even as we have changed some of the dynamics of our subscription business. The WestLink team has been responsive to all changes and is willing to walk through what it will take and to most effectively turn it around.

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

We have primarily used Asana for tasks and Slack for messaging. We will use emails or scheduled calls for stand-ups and check ins.

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

WestLink built us a fully functioning, dynamic, beautiful site that is easy to update and adjustable when needed. WestLink is knowledgable, efficient, and fun to work with.

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

We had two small issues in the beginning and they were responsive and quick to fix them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of an educational video games company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WestLink?

We needed help to develop our backend IT solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WestLink has developed our technology; they’ve worked on several products. In general, they’ve built proprietary solutions for the backend system of our gaming platform.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with six people, including project managers and full stack developers.

How did you come to work with WestLink?

The founder and CEO was my friend. He brought in his team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2018, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continue to work with them, which goes to the quality of their service. If we weren’t happy with them, we would’ve stopped using them years ago.

How did WestLink perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at project management. They’re professional and responsive. We use Trello to manage the tasks and email, Slack, and Zoom to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Honestly, it’s easy to work with them. WestLink always finds the right people for the job and can quickly scale up and down.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should offer more discounts for referral business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just do it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the technical co-founder of a technology company that connects, informs, and empowers patients in global clinical trials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to reimagine the patient's experience in a clinical trial during this critical and difficult time in their life. We worked extensively with patients to determine their needs as a participant in a clinical trial.

SOLUTION

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

I had worked with WestLink on several projects prior and decided on WestLink for this project based on: expertise, cost, and most importantly, the ability for WestLink to integrate with our current development team following agile principles.

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

They took designs and broad requirements of what we wanted to accomplish and built out a development strategy to hit our organizational goal. This including building out work items in Jira in 2-week sprints and aligned to Epics. The full SDLC was supported by WestLink including testing, code-review, and deployment. Stakeholder feedback was incorporated at the end of the sprint.

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

There were:

• 2 project managers
• 1 tech lead
• 3 front-end engineers
• 3 back-end engineers
• 1 software engineer
• 1 test engineer from our team

Including members from our team is always a critical step for success.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project had aggressive timelines based on the needs from the business and clients. The feedback from our clients and internal business members was overwhelmingly positive.

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

One of the primary reasons I choose WestLink is because of their ability to incorporate into your team's SDLC and communication processes. This includes Slack, daily scrums, and the standard scrum ceremonies. Consistent and constant communication is key to any project's success.

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

I have always been impressed with WestLink's approach to communication. They integrate into your team and truly feel like augmented staff.

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

I would be interested in other regions of the world that WestLink could provide their services, such as nearshore (which they may do already). Differences in time zones can at times restrict communication to certain business hours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and founder of a media company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a platform to manage all of our media products and give our subscriptions clients an easy UI to browse, shop, license, and customize their videos.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to them through a professional acquaintance.

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

We sent them our MVP v1.0 project guidelines and deliverables and we then discussed the timeline and scope of work. We were able to launch our MVP product and since then have made serious improvements to it.

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

A project manager, a primary dev, and occasional QA's and front end personnel.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

N/A

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

We have weekly meetings with the project manager and the primary dev. We communicate almost daily via slack. They are generally responsive and organized.

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

N/A

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

N/A