[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":279},["Reactive",2],{"iC8NSEpmxD":3},{"page":4},{"data":5,"content":17,"media_files":18,"slug":19,"template":20,"childPages":21,"path":277,"folder":278},{"title":6,"heroheading":6,"herotext":7,"ctaformheading":8,"ctaformsendbuttontext":9,"metadata":10,"titletag":6,"content":12},"Case Studies","Don't just take our word for it","Let's make your **case study**\r\na reality","Connect With Us",{"description":11},"The proof is in the pudding. See authentic and powerful case studies by Happy Dog.",{"items":13,"order":14},"@self.children",{"by":15,"dir":16},"ordering","asc","",[],"case-studies","heroonly",[22,97,176],{"data":23,"media_files":92,"slug":93,"template":94,"path":95,"folder":96},{"title":24,"shortintro":25,"introaboutheading":26,"introaboutparagraph":27,"introhoisttask":28,"introhoistsummary":29,"introchallenge":30,"introresult":31,"projectefforts":32,"sections":33,"ctaformheading":83,"ctaformsendbuttontext":84,"introimage":85,"heroimage":89},"Xcel Energy","Syncing optimized and secure data with a CRM","A large company with data in need of data 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 with 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","Working with a legacy CMS, secure the sign up process and the sign up data, all while getting the data to export nicely to the CRM and synced up with the marketing team.","A secure sign process, zero databases, perfect data, happy marketers and happy executives.","* CMS migration\r\n* Custom Forms\r\n* CRM Synchronization\r\n* Data hosting",[34,44,49,58,78],{"title":35,"description":36,"imagefullcaption":37,"imagefull":38},"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 amount signups 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 wasn't on a secure hosting platform.","The original website got them started, but they had a ways to go",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/xcelfirstsite.webp":39},{"name":40,"type":41,"size":42,"path":43},"xcelfirstsite.webp","image/webp",212146,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/xcelfirstsite.webp",{"title":45,"description":46,"quote":47,"quotecite":48},"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 cause potential problems in _many_ areas. The information was stored in a database, which was potentially insecure if not managed correctly. It's 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.","Bella, Marketing Manager",{"title":50,"description":51,"video":52},"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](https://hoist.digital), we started to work within their marketing campaign to increase signups. 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 form signup behavior to potential customers willing to be observed. It was through that process that we found chokepoints and friction in the signup process.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/screengrab.mp4":53},{"name":54,"type":55,"size":56,"path":57},"screengrab.mp4","video/mp4",10024225,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/screengrab.mp4",{"title":59,"description":60,"images":61},"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 has increased dramatically**. Using data in the right way can lead to incredible business growth.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsreport.webp":62,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsanalytics.webp":66,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsrepair.webp":70,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hstruck.webp":74},{"name":63,"type":41,"size":64,"path":65},"hsreport.webp",27172,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsreport.webp",{"name":67,"type":41,"size":68,"path":69},"hsanalytics.webp",70220,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsanalytics.webp",{"name":71,"type":41,"size":72,"path":73},"hsrepair.webp",157030,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hsrepair.webp",{"name":75,"type":41,"size":76,"path":77},"hstruck.webp",112692,"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/hstruck.webp",{"title":79,"description":80,"quote":81,"quotecite":82},"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 consistenly 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!","Don, Sr. Product Portfolio Manager","Let's sync up and secure your data","Get in touch with Happy Dog",{"xcelintro.webp":86},{"name":87,"type":41,"size":88,"path":87},"xcelintro.webp",220460,{"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/xcelintro.webp":90},{"name":87,"type":41,"size":88,"path":91},"user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy/xcelintro.webp",[],"xcel-energy","showcase","user/pages/04.case-studies/01.xcel-energy","01.xcel-energy",{"data":98,"media_files":172,"slug":173,"template":94,"path":174,"folder":175},{"title":99,"shortintro":100,"introaboutheading":101,"introaboutparagraph":102,"introhoisttask":103,"introhoistsummary":104,"introchallenge":105,"introresult":106,"projectefforts":107,"sections":108,"ctaformheading":167,"ctaformsendbuttontext":84,"introimage":168},"Grafe Auction","Next level business growth through software and data","When software + data meets marketing, a profit explosion may happen","Grafe Auction is a company that does just one thing, but does it very well. They are a full service auction company that helps businesses gain assets and cash through auctioning inventory.","Happy Dog was tasked with helping them take their business to the next level through software and data. Grafe Auction had many pain points to overcome initially. The biggest sticking point were the 3 pieces of third party software that were duct taped together in efforts to make things run smoothly.","We replaced all of the third party software by creating custom software for the client. One by one, the need for each piece of software vanished. In the same breath, they got to own their own data and make smart business decisions based on that.","Replace 3 separate software packages with one custom software build. This had to be done to gain access to data and get a competitive advantage.","Happy Dog developed a custom online auction platform that is faster, more secure, more reliable, more efficient and better than any of the competition.","* Custom Software\r\n* SMS integrations\r\n* IBM Watson integrations\r\n* Google Cloud Infrastructure\r\n* Online invoice payments\r\n* Custom reporting\r\n* Custom mobile apps",[109,118,129,141,153,162],{"title":110,"description":111,"imagefullcaption":112,"imagefull":113},"When the chokepoints start to choke success","Third party software can be a good thing. In fact, it can be great in the right situation. However, dancing between multiple pieces of software can be frustrating. What's even worse is when you don't have full access to your data. This was the exact position that Grafe Auction was in. On top of that, their website needed a dramatic makeover.","Their old website wasn't pretty, and the software behind everything was a mess",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafeoldsite.webp":114},{"name":115,"type":41,"size":116,"path":117},"grafeoldsite.webp",154712,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafeoldsite.webp",{"title":119,"description":120,"video":121,"quote":127,"quotecite":128},"Time for some custom auction software","At Happy Dog, we were able to ask Grafe Auction our favorite question, \"**If you had a magic wand, what would you want your software to do for you?**\". Through lengthy discovery we crafted a long term plan for our custom software. The software had to take pre-bids, bids, max-bids, run the auction with multiple rings at the same time, and handle all of the invoicing at the end. This was no simple feat.\r\n\r\nOn top of this, the software had to work with _live auctions_. Previously, the auctioneer had an a person with an earpiece next to them, who was on a phone call with someone who was running the online auction. We developed software that eliminated the middleman, and allowed the website to speak with the auctioneer in microseconds (text to speech). \r\n\r\n",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafelive.webm":122},{"name":123,"type":124,"size":125,"path":126},"grafelive.webm","video/webm",7337396,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafelive.webm","We thought we had a good plan. Little did we know that by hiring Happy Dog we figured out our plan wasn't very good for us. We're so grateful for the digital path that we are on!","Bridget Siler",{"title":130,"description":131,"images":132},"What happens before an auction","Before Grafe Auction would create any auction, they would need to know what is being auctioned off. Grafe Auction used to use a company who has their own software that does this. People would take pictures of items, fill out data, and enter in what items were to be auctioned off. Happy Dog created software that allowed Grafe Auction staff to bulk upload auction items by the thousands. Not to be outdone, Happy Dog developed **custom mobile apps** that allowed Grafe Auction staff to do this on the fly. While they take pictures, they can create the items on the go.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/phone-802125_1280.webp":133,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/gbsmobileapp.webp":137},{"name":134,"type":41,"size":135,"path":136},"phone-802125_1280.webp",50200,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/phone-802125_1280.webp",{"name":138,"type":41,"size":139,"path":140},"gbsmobileapp.webp",131366,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/gbsmobileapp.webp",{"title":142,"description":143,"images":144},"What about the website","Along with our sister company [Hoist](https://hoist.digital), we were able to redesign the website into something that mobile users could easily use. Using data from Analytics and multiple experiments, we determined a path that mobile users could easily find and participate in any auction they pleased.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafephone.webp":145,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafedesign.webp":149},{"name":146,"type":41,"size":147,"path":148},"grafephone.webp",131658,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafephone.webp",{"name":150,"type":41,"size":151,"path":152},"grafedesign.webp",212224,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/grafedesign.webp",{"title":154,"description":155,"imagefullcaption":156,"imagefull":157},"Custom reporting for the win","Finally, we have all of this glorious data. So much data can be overwhelming. There was no need to worry, Happy Dog had (and still has) it covered. We used Google Data Studio for some quick, but effective reports. We also created some custom reporting based on more complex data. This reporting and data not only gives peace of mind, it gives decision makers a clear vision on future business decisions.","This isn't actual data from Grafe Auction, it's just a screenshot of some of what Google Data Studios can do",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/gbsreport.webp":158},{"name":159,"type":41,"size":160,"path":161},"gbsreport.webp",144390,"user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction/gbsreport.webp",{"title":163,"description":164,"quote":165,"quotecite":166},"Breaking records, year after year","Since they started working with Happy Dog, Grafe Auction has not seen a year when revenue has decreased. They have experienced record breaking profits year after year.","The Happy Dog team never ceases to amaze me. We have experienced record growth for numerous years now, and I know I can attribute a good chunk of that to the team at Happy Dog. Happiest clients ever!","John Schultz","What can we build for you?",{"grafewhitebkg.webp":169},{"name":170,"type":41,"size":171,"path":170},"grafewhitebkg.webp",11648,[],"grafe-auction","user/pages/04.case-studies/03.grafe-auction","03.grafe-auction",{"data":177,"media_files":273,"slug":274,"template":94,"path":275,"folder":276},{"title":178,"shortintro":179,"introaboutheading":180,"introaboutparagraph":181,"introhoisttask":182,"introhoistsummary":183,"introchallenge":184,"introresult":185,"projectefforts":186,"sections":187,"ctaformheading":267,"ctaformsendbuttontext":268,"introimage":269},"MBE","Custom software saves a trucking industry company","Cloud based custom software screams success","MBE is a Minnesota based company that acts as a trucking company broker. They schedule, communicate and coordinate with hundreds of companies in all phases of construction jobs. MBE handles even the smallest details, such as tickets, invoices and staffing.","Happy Dog was tasked with taking an outdated system built on Microsoft Access and poorly coded mobile apps and restructuring it into a cloud based system. Before Happy Dog, the data was out of sync and required multiple touchpoints to get working correctly.","We were able to write cloud based software to sync all of these touchpoints and migrate in the old data. This included mobile apps.","Take an outdated, poorly performing software setup and rewrite it.","The new software eliminated a position they were going to hire for. It also saved a lot of headaches and unnecessary work -- which let MBE focus more on business growth.","* Custom cloud based software\r\n* Quickbooks integration\r\n* Twilio / SMS integration\r\n* iOS native mobile app\r\n* Android app\r\n* Custom reporting\r\n* Customer portal\r\n* SAAS reselling software",[188,216,225,239,251,262],{"title":189,"description":190,"images":191},"Nothing seemed in sync","When MBE reached out to us, it's safe to say that they were in a mess. They had strung together desktop software, including data in Microsoft Access. Their desktop software was only accessible at their location. Data had to be manually copy and pasted to different locations. Reports were off because data was out of sync. Worst of all, the mobile apps weren't functional and caused more harm than good.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt.webp":192,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt1.webp":196,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt2.webp":200,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt3.webp":204,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt4.webp":208,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt5.webp":212},{"name":193,"type":41,"size":194,"path":195},"dt.webp",58140,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt.webp",{"name":197,"type":41,"size":198,"path":199},"dt1.webp",27782,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt1.webp",{"name":201,"type":41,"size":202,"path":203},"dt2.webp",32670,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt2.webp",{"name":205,"type":41,"size":206,"path":207},"dt3.webp",46886,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt3.webp",{"name":209,"type":41,"size":210,"path":211},"dt4.webp",51108,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt4.webp",{"name":213,"type":41,"size":214,"path":215},"dt5.webp",40300,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/dt5.webp",{"title":217,"description":218,"imagefullcaption":219,"imagefull":220},"Discovering the true path forwards","In order to discover what needed to be built, we had to fully immerse ourselves in their business. In order to do this, we went through a lengthy and very beneficial discovery phase. In this phase, we looked at how they currently use the software, and what would be the most beneficial ways to adapt that software for them. We saw the existing pitfalls with their current setup, and found ways to not only avoid them, but create ways for them to be as **efficient and profitable** as possible.","Through many hours of discovery, we crafted a plan for business success",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbediscovery.webp":221},{"name":222,"type":41,"size":223,"path":224},"mbediscovery.webp",70642,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbediscovery.webp",{"title":226,"description":227,"imagefullcaption":228,"imagefull":229,"video":234},"Migrating away from Microsoft Access","When it comes to data storage, we like to look at it this way. There is an evolution of how to store data the right way. Excel spreadsheets are the very rudimentary, basic beginner level solution when it comes to saving tables of information. Microsoft Access is just a little step above that. MySQL and [Cloud SQL](https://cloud.google.com/sql/) are examples of using a **more powerful, modern technology** to store data. MBE had their data on Microsoft Access, which presented multiple issues. The biggest issues were that data was not synced properly and that a lot of manual copy / paste still had to happen. We created a plan to get them moved to their own MySQL database, along with migrating all existing data. We were able to achieve this without interrupting a single day of work. ","Migrating from Access to MySQL proved to be invaluable for MBE",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeaccesstosql.webp":230},{"name":231,"type":41,"size":232,"path":233},"mbeaccesstosql.webp",38792,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeaccesstosql.webp",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbedataloop.webm":235},{"name":236,"type":124,"size":237,"path":238},"mbedataloop.webm",769396,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbedataloop.webm",{"title":240,"description":241,"images":242},"From desktop software to a cloud application","Happy Dog created a custom web application for MBE based on the popular PHP framework Laravel. [Laravel](https://laravel.com/) offers many advantages that MBE fully utilized. It's **authorization** is exceptional, which was needed for handling accounts on the web app and mobile apps. It's **mail services** works flawlessly for scheduling and communicating with hundreds of companies. It's **speed** improved efficiency within the office exponentially. Complex reports that used to take hours to generate now take less than a minute. **Data security** is paramount, and Laravel handles that better than most other applications. It's **message queue system** is a built-in feature that makes texting, emailing, or even mass updating possible. It even allows **scheduling tasks** to run periodically, if needed. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that staff can **access their software at anytime**, from anywhere, since it is cloud based. ",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbedirttrackerinuse.webp":243,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeondevice.webp":247},{"name":244,"type":41,"size":245,"path":246},"mbedirttrackerinuse.webp",65766,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbedirttrackerinuse.webp",{"name":248,"type":41,"size":249,"path":250},"mbeondevice.webp",100394,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeondevice.webp",{"title":252,"description":253,"images":254},"Native mobile apps for the win","When MBE started working with us, the drivers that used their system would get paper tickets during their day. Staff at MBE would spend countless hours manually entering in the data. Custom mobile apps have solved that problem. Drivers can now get all of their job details, enter tickets, get them signed, and automatically send them to MBE. The system is designed to work even if cellphone reception doesn't exist. Custom mobile apps have **saved countless hours and increased efficiency** across the board for MBE.",{"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeappphone.webp":255,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeforeman.webp":258},{"name":256,"type":41,"path":257},"mbeappphone.webp","user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeappphone.webp",{"name":259,"type":41,"size":260,"path":261},"mbeforeman.webp",182416,"user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe/mbeforeman.webp",{"title":263,"description":264,"quote":265,"quotecite":266},"A custom setup leads to being an industry pioneer","Besides all of the inner-office benefits that MBE gains with this custom software setup a major shift has happened. They are now seen as innovators and pioneers within their industry. With all the work that has happened for MBE, people took notice. Competitors want to pay them to use their system. More and more companies are signing on to work with them. All of this is leaps and bounds ahead of where they were just a few short years ago.","What can I say? The mobile apps work great. They've been really reliable, especially lately. And the software is such an improvement from where we were. We are all so thankful to Happy Dog. Thanks!","Susie Borrell","What **custom project** do you have in mind?","Reach out to Happy Dog today",{"mbewhitebkg.webp":270},{"name":271,"type":41,"size":272,"path":271},"mbewhitebkg.webp",14256,[],"mbe","user/pages/04.case-studies/04.mbe","04.mbe","user/pages/04.case-studies","04.case-studies",1702925421978]