The brief
A large company with data in need of optimization
HomeSmart is a company under the umbrella of Xcel Energy. HomeSmart services Minnesota and Colorado. They offer peace of mind to consumers who own appliances through their proprietary protection and replacement plans.
Happy Dog was tasked with making their sign-up data more secure, and then creating the syncable format for that data for their CRM. This included migrating away from their initial CRM choice.
We completely removed one entry point by eliminating all databases. Their website ended up being database-less, with some additional security measures to boot. From there, we enabled a manual export process that formatted data for import into their CRM.
Not off to a great start
HomeSmart used a large agency many years ago. They had hopes of getting a custom web design on a secure website that could handle a large number of sign-ups properly. Their relationship with the agency ultimately deteriorated. To make things even worse, they started off originally with a subpar setup. It was on a bad CMS, with tricky forms to handle, it didn't sync with their CRM, and it wasn't on a secure hosting platform.
Solving many problems with one decision: Migrate to a better CMS
The original website was developed on the CMS Joomla. Joomla may have been a great CMS around 2010, but it started to cause potential problems in many areas. The information was stored in a database, which was potentially insecure if not managed correctly. Its templating system didn't allow for any great designs. The way it handled forms was less than secure. The pagespeed was less than desirable. Enter Grav. Migrating to the CMS Grav allowed HomeSmart from Xcel to have a fast, well-styled, secure website that handled forms excellently.
The transition to our new custom setup has kept our security team at peace. You guys have done a great job securing and storing our data.
Data analysis: Assisting with digital marketing
Now that their software stack was fast, secure, and ready to go with their CRM, it was time to ramp up marketing. Using our sister company Hoist, we started to work within their marketing campaign to increase sign-ups. While Hoist was driving leads, it was our job to do data analysis and see potential for increasing conversion percentage. Through software, we were able to observe the form sign-up behavior of potential customers willing to be observed. It was through that process that we found chokepoints and friction in the sign-up process.
The big payoff
There have been zero data breaches since working with Happy Dog. The system has been tested and secure. The data lives nicely in the CRM of Xcel Energy's choice. But even better than fast, secure data that ties into their CRM is business growth. Since embarking on this project, their leads and business have increased dramatically. Using data in the right way can lead to incredible business growth.
A long-tenured relationship
Proof of effectiveness can easily be observed by seeing how long a business sticks with a digital partner. In our industry, change happens very often. You can only keep clients long-term if you are consistently providing value and doing things the right way.
Happy Dog is always on top of any issue we have. In fact, they seem to solve issues before they even happen. We are glad to have found a website company that we can count on for the long haul. Thanks Happy Dog, you're the best!