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 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

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.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Lauren Crays: Atlas Van Lines is the second-largest van line in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Laura Rush: We were looking to move our main website onto a different CMS platform. Kentico was the platform of choice for us. We worked with several partners on this project, and Wakefly, Inc. is our current provider.

LC: We also needed a new set of eyes on our web properties. We felt they were getting a bit stale and we needed a fresh perspective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LC: We have five projects going on right now, but we’ve worked together extensively over the last few years. They’ve helped us with several of our web properties in various capacities. I’m currently working on one of our larger internal sites right now called the Atlas Loop, and they’re also helping us to move that site onto Kentico. We look to them for recommendations on the design aspects of our templates and layouts. We’ve also contracted them to do a variety of other projects.

LR: Wakefly has helped us move onto the Kentico platform across all our sites while ensuring that Atlas’ requirements are met. We have specific ways of doing things, and their team has worked productively within our parameters. They’ve been very accommodating on these projects with respect to making sure they follow the Atlas rules from an IT perspective.

What is the team composition?

LC: Dean (Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Wakefly, Inc.) is our sales account representative, while Brad (Senior Technical Project Manager, Wakefly, Inc.) is our project manager. Our weekly calls are with Brad. When we’ve gone out to their offices to quote additional projects, we typically talk with Dean on the phone.

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

LR: We considered several vendors during our search. Someone on our team had previous experience with Wakefly, and after looking into their services, we thought they would be a good fit for these projects. We’ve been pleased with the results.

LC: The last vendor we worked with was an advertising and marketing agency. They do some web work but don’t specialize in it like Wakefly does. The Wakefly team has the bandwidth to take on several different projects simultaneously, which is something that not every vendor we’ve worked with has been able to do.

How much have you invested with them?

LR: We’ve invested about $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

LR: We started working together in April 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LC: We’ve really liked the design work Wakefly has provided thus far, while the switch to Kentico has been an easy transition for us. The team works quickly to get things up and running. The process has been very smooth from the beginning.

The time they’ve taken to learn more about Atlas and the services we provide has been crucial to their ability to make substantive recommendations. Many of the new templates are mobile friendly, which is something our team has struggled with in the past. The new templates make it easier for us to engage our target audience.

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

LC: We’ve been very pleased with everything so far, especially as compared to previous vendors we’ve worked with in the past. They turn projects around rapidly and we’re very happy with the workflow. We have weekly status calls with them and there’s always an open line of communication. They consistently check in and send project updates along the way, which is a refreshing shift from what we’re used to with outside agencies.

What did you find most impressive about them?

LR: They support us any time we reach out to them and go the extra mile to educate us. We work so diligently with them on all of the projects and support. If someone is unavailable, we can keep moving with our projects and stay on schedule. They work very hard to help us maintain our timelines. We couldn’t ask for a better vendor to help us through all the projects they’ve worked on.

LC: We’ve gone to them with questions or issues with recommendations from previous vendors that we weren’t sure about, and they’re always happy to provide guidance. They’ll help out with anything, even if it wasn’t a project that they quoted.

Wakefly Inc. has also been really good at making recommendations based on our budget. They’re very transparent in keeping us updated on how various projects are impacting costs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

LC: Setting project timelines has been very important for our team. It helps us stay on top of everything because we know Wakefly will deliver on time. Outlining those milestones to ensure that we’re meeting our goals, objectives, and deadlines has been central to the success of the project so far.

LR: Potential customers need to identify what they’re looking to accomplish because once they define it, Wakefly Inc. is going to run with it. If a customer doesn’t define their scope well, it will inevitably and unnecessarily draw out the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing at a B2B manufacturer. We create connectivity products that are used in a variety of markets from telecommunications to the military. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wakefly?

Wakefly is our web development partner and helps us build a variety of websites, each with their own unique challenges. They also help us with our digital platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wakefly provides a wide range of services. They primarily and currently provide web development for four of our sites. They guide our marketing team and executive team through the full web development process. Our projects vary depending on our need. For example, their team developed a Chinese site they built using Baidu, a corporate site, and a platform housing multiple brands. They help create unique pages, features, portals, and interfaces. Their developers code the front- and backend, perform maintenance, and help with PPC activities.

Throughout our engagement, we were acquired by a large corporation and had to transfer some of their websites to another vendor. They're always professional about these relocations and support us through the transfers.

What is the team composition?

Our team composition depends on the needs of the project. I primarily work with their brand manager and PPC specialist. Their CEO is also available whenever we need him.

How did you come to work with Wakefly?

We found them through a request for quotation (RFQ) process.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $40,000 for low-end, "clone" websites; For high-end and newer websites, we invest around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in July 2010 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of project management and meeting milestones, they make our business look excellent to our clients. Their management skills are exceptional, and they're excellent at articulating a clear timeline with specific dates and elements. They're always ready with a plan B, and their word is their bond. There are almost no surprises, and their team will take full accountability and responsibility if anything goes wrong. If any issue arises, they'll adapt there plan with the timeline to fix everything. Because of all this, they continue to increase our revenue.

How did Wakefly perform from a project management standpoint?

It's a two-way street, and they work excellently with our team. Their team is disciplined, accountable, and make it a high priority to hit our expectations. Working on web projects can get intense, and they work with us side-by-side—even through long weekends. I cannot tell you how many times I've called them on a Sunday to ask a question or request a feature. Their senior managers explain complications with honesty and don't sugar-coat new issues that need to be prioritized. It's unusual to find such an organized and professional partner. They're not just a nine-to-five agency; Their team works extremely hard to meet milestones and provides detailed outlines of where our money goes. Their exceptional customer service is why we're still working with them—even after eight years.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is responsive, and we have an extremely high-level of trust in their work. Our business ebbs and flows, but they've been with us all the way. I'm a marketing director, so I don't have the technical knowledge to fix urgent issues; Thus, it's great knowing that I can rely on them to respond within the same day to answer a question. Even though I'm not their biggest customer, they consider me a valuable partner. This reflects the phenomenal integrity of their senior management. Wakefly always try to meet our budget and deadlines, are competitively priced, and provide cutting-edge technology.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have turnovers and it would be nice having the same team. However, this is an extremely fast-evolving technology, and the new managers or developers they bring in offer better insights into the cutting-edge of technology. Thus, it's a more of a benefit for us. Their senior management also consists of the same people since day one, so I can't complain too much.

Any advice for potential customers?

In the beginning, listen closely to their expertise to understand design brief. Make sure your internal project management is excellent. Understand that you need to work as well to hit your deadlines and expectations. Always ask questions and understand what you need to do to help them succeed. It's a partnership, both of you have to work (50/50) to achieve success.