Web Development, Plymouth, Devon

Case Study 1:
Roofing Superstore

Technologies: MySQL – PHP – Javascript – CSS – XHTML - Ajax

Tools: Bespoke Ecommerce - Bespoke CRM - Pricing Module - Weather System

The Roofing Superstore project was an entirely bespoke website development. We collaborated with the directors to create an online store system capable of tackling a national market and delivering saleability for the future. The store handles an inventory of over 13,000 different product lines and carries associated documents such as technical specifications and COSHH data sheets.

The administration suite for Roofing Superstore includes CRM features that enable high levels of marketing data to be managed, gathered and utilised for future campaigns. The system will store all of the customer data, including data that has been purchased and uploaded to the system. When a roofing contractor that is in the pre defined list makes a purchase, their status automatically changes from "Prospect" to "Customer" and the marketing stream for that business can be modified accordingly. This is coupled to an extensive range of custom reporting on all of the sites internal activity, delivering information such as; levels of site use, product popularity and records of all searches completed on the sites engine.

One of the unique selling points of Roofing Superstore is the fact they are the only provider of roofing lead that can be purchased online. This tool has an added layer of complexity due to the fact that lead is priced based on weight and sold in rolls. There are also quantity breaks for lead that apply based on weight purchased, as the product is sold in rolls our tool needed to make all the right calculations. We also had to take into consideration the fluctuation in lead prices daily and provide an admin facility for the client to easily update costs as the market changes.

As a "value add" item for this site, the client wanted to create a bespoke weather system, specifically tailored for roofers. This tool allows website users to enter their postcode and receive a weather report for their area. This may not seem unusual but we took the format forward and integrated it with a unique graphical interface tailored for roofers. This system can provide 3, 5 or 7 day forecasts.

Case Study 2:
Eyewear Now

Technolgies: MySQL – PHP – Javascript – CSS - XHTML

Tools: Content Management - Bespoke Postcode Search - Finance Calculator - Secure Area

We were asked to complete the development for Eyewear Now as they looked to launch the existing German business into the UK market for the first time. The website serves as an information point for end user customers and also a central point of contact for all UK based dealers and franchise holders, providing access to key business and product information. We built a content managed website to give them the control they needed, we also integrated bespoke tools into that system.

We created a bespoke postcode lookup tool that comes complete with an administration suite. By using a simple "browse and upload" system, Eyewear Now can easily upload new vendor information, directly as it supplied from their data management company. This ensures there information requires minimal administration and is always right up to date.

For this project we also developed a finance calculator, enabling visitors to see how much they can afford to spend.

Case Study 3:
Albany Associates

Technologies: MySQL – PHP – CSS - XHTML

Tools: Extranet – CRM - Content Management – Booking System

Albany Associates is a UK-based, internationally-focussed company with a strong track record in delivering communications and public diplomacy strategies. They have associates throughout the world in locations including; Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, Paris, Washington and Lebanon. We were asked to complete the development of a website that could bring resources together for use by colleagues in all of these locations. The website also needed to serve as an information provider for the latest developments in their sectors and provide functional tools such as training course information and booking.

We created a custom contact management tool that can be accessed by associates via the Albany Associates home page. The tool allows them access to all company contacts, which are sorted by attributed tags; supplier, media, photography, broadcast etc. Each contact can have notes attached to it by each user and items can be flagged for the attention of other Albany Associates users. They are notified of these alerts when they next logging. We also included a facility to upload files to each contact; this allows items such as CV's to be attached to personnel that in turn can be accessed within the system using specific skill searches. User management of the system is handled by administrator accounts and user groups can be allocated different levels of access dependant on the requirement. This ensures that temporary staffs are able to access without compromising the companies' important data.

Albany offers a number of highly specialist professional training courses that are hosted in locations all around the world. We built a system that delivers information on over 50 separate courses and allows delegates to book and pay online.