Cool Blue builds secure, reliable, database-driven websites that combine industry-standard applications with creative solutions - from Content Management Systems and intranet/extranet sites to e-commerce and custom applications. With technology capabilities that include PHP/MySQL, Perl/CGI, ASP.NET, SSI/SSL, JavaScript, AJAX Flash and CSS/DHTML/XML, we have the tools to help you manage site updates, capture customer data, sell merchandise, personalize interactions and more.
Our proactive development process results in robust websites that meet even the most demanding functionality challenges, while adhering to rigorous international standards in code compliance. By understanding the business rules that govern your site's functionality and conducting a streamlined development process that includes pre-launch testing, we can ensure deployment-ready deliverables. We also ensure accuracy along the way, thanks to our code repository that catalogs code changes and issues for easy version control and documentation.
HTML
Our Code Hits the Ground Running.
Cool Blue's developers rely on 13 years of experience, expertise and industry best practices when it comes to delivering HTML. First and foremost, we believe your website should work – which is why our HTML development process includes stringent quality assurance and functionality testing to meet or exceed standards in code compliance.
From improving workflow via source repositories that store and organize code to determining the specs that will ensure your website renders correctly in top browsers, the developers at Cool Blue are experts in standards-driven HTML delivery and execution.
Content Management Systems
Take Control of Your Site.
We believe that a content management system (CMS) should be a solution, a prescription for the challenges you face when administering your website. With thousands of tools available, there is no single "best" CMS - there's only the right one for you. You'll need to consider many factors when choosing your CMS, including:
- Requirements. What do you want to do with your site? Is it simple or complex? What business rules come into play?
- Workflow. Who in your organization should post and manage site updates? What permissions do you need to set?
- Platform. Are you running Windows? Linux?
- Cost. Some content management systems have no license fees, while others can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Our in-depth development process includes fully exploring your site needs to fit the right CMS to your unique situation. And since we don't sell a particular tool, we aren't biased – we'll use our considerable expertise in Ektron, Drupal, NetNuke, CMS Made Simple, WordPress and many others to deliver a CMS solution that makes it easy and less costly for you to take control of your site.
E-Commerce
E-commerce is big business in the U.S. In 2009, e-commerce sales totaled $134.9 billion, and the numbers are steadily rising. Since 1997, Cool Blue has been out in front of the e-commerce market, helping entrepreneurial start-ups and Fortune 500 companies leverage the online sales channel to meet the ever-growing demand. To determine the right e-commerce solution for your business, you'll need to consider a number of factors, such as platform requirements, workflow, product volume, cost and strategies to measure product sales and website performance, which are critical components of success.
We Deliver Custom Applications…
Our developers build on decades of real-world expertise to design and execute custom e-commerce applications. By focusing on your desired sales objectives and understanding your target consumer, we can create the right e-commerce solution, from custom shopping carts, online payment applications and third-party integration to real-time order management tools, interactive product demos and apps that can serve hundreds of thousands of SKU products.
…and Customized Turnkey Solutions.
Cool Blue can also help you manage a turnkey e-commerce solution. We've built strategic relationships with trusted warehousing and fulfillment partners, which allows us to provide a streamlined, end-to-end e-commerce solution that's easy to use and less costly to manage.
Custom Applications
Enhancing the Interactive Experience: Custom Apps
In today's web 3.0 era, online users expect technology to be quickly, easily and seamlessly integrated into their daily lives. Studies show those users respond to "things that work or move" or visual experiences over text in many cases – which means that simple yet strategic custom applications can enhance the user experience. These can make your site truly interactive, resulting in a greater impact on site adoption and stickiness.
Cool Blue's custom applications offer a tangible way for your customers to reap the benefits of your site, product or service. While we can build any kind of app, some of the most popular include:
- ROI Calculators. These easy-to-use apps help your users calculate return on investment when they use your product or service, such as the exact savings they can achieve through your medical transcription service or the utility costs they can save by installing your energy-efficient lighting.
- Maps, Trip Planners and Calendars. These powerful yet simple online tools engage your user by allowing them to find your location from any starting point, plan a trip, plot an itinerary by event location, find activities and even save, share and email the results.
- Configurators. These effective apps help your customers decide which of your products or services might work best for them. When users input data, they receive the best choices based on their criteria.
Intranet/Extranet
Cool Blue is committed to developing and leveraging technology that helps you improve the way you do business. Whether enhancing communication, streamlining productivity or controlling access to specific information, Cool Blue can help you achieve it through custom extranets and intranets.
Intranets act as internal communication and knowledge centers, such as HR portals, online employee training centers, etc.
Extranets allow increased collaboration between customers, partners, suppliers and other users that you designate. These can be areas limited to specific functions, such as separate sales channels for your customers, media portals for controlled access to logos and images or investor pages.
Cool Blue can build off-the-shelf or custom intranet and extranet solutions that help you improve:
- Content distribution: product catalogues, training manuals, directories, marketing collateral, price lists, product bulletins and HR benefits
- Transactional processes: database applications, reports and forms (e.g., insurance, benefits, 401(k) enrollment)
- Performance management and reporting: project-management tools, dashboard reports and schedules
Video Handling
The use of video has become mainstream for the web, with adoption rates skyrocketing: a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report found that 62 percent of Americans regularly view videos online. As videos become easier to produce, thousands more will continue to appear online every day. In fact, according to a Pew researcher, "It's an extremely powerful medium - the killer app of Web 2.0."
Quality Counts.
Strategically we agree that, if handled correctly, videos can become a strong element of your company's online experience. The question isn't whether you can host a video on your site – but how you can do it better. Understanding that the quality of the video will reinforce your brand, we're dedicated to helping you achieve video feeds that adhere to rigorous quality standards. Some questions to consider:
- Has the video been filmed?
- Has it been professionally produced?
- Is it professionally scripted?
Once you have a professional, high-caliber video, Cool Blue will integrate your videos into your website and across your online strategy, providing your audience with a premium online experience.
