A Dorset Web Agency with a difference

In 2014 the team at Novus Digital, were sent a text message just before Christmas saying that they wouldn’t get paid. A few put their heads together and Chris Ryu (former Technical Director) founded “The Honest Agency” offering web design in Dorset, SEO and WordPress development. We also now offer iPhone & Android screen repair and iPhone & Android battery replacement in Dorset too as well as computer repair in Dorset.

It was an instant hit!

The secret to it’s success was simple, the team thought back to what was wrong with previous agencies they had worked for or hired and tried to flip the issues on their heads. This resulted in an agency that charged less for the work such as web design in Poole etc, gave their team more flexibility and then to take away greed, gave all of it’s profits back to the community!

It had founded an educational non-profit arm and opened a STEM education centre in North Dorset (read more below) and while other funding fell through for the centre, Honest stayed true to its word and kept putting money into the centre to keep the children’s activities going.

Dorset Tech was born

5 years later – Chris teamed up with another agency owner (more on that soon) to agree a 1 year plan to merge 2 agencies as the Honest Tech Group, sharing resources and overheads, but cover 2 very different catchment areas as well as providing web design in Poole and other website services. Both would be social enterprises sharing the original ethos of The Honest Agency, but rather than engaging in lots of community programmes to give back, we’re focused on helping start-ups and non-profits succeed.

High Street Location

Late 2019 the group expanded, adding a high-street head office in Gillingham, North Dorset. It makes us an accessible part of the community. We offer web design in Dorset as well as web design in Poole & Dorset SEO and WordPress development. Our high street location allows us to now also provide computer repair in Dorset and iPhone & Android battery replacement and iPhone & Android screen repair too at some of the cheapest rates available in Dorset.

Tech Bar

Due to rapid growth and social distancing guidance, another high-street office in Gillingham was added. It serves as our Tech Repair centre. The Tech Bar will be our YouTube studio and will now house our 3D printers.

HQ Expansion

2022 has seen further growth of the team. Our Head Office has moved to a larger office upstairs. We’re close to filling the space already, but it’s provided a bit of a buffer. Our previous HQ will be refurbished ready for more desks later this year.

Website & App Design Dorset

Chris Ryu - You're in Safe Hands!

Chris is a serial social entrepreneur who has devoted the last 10 years to trying to make the world a better place. He recognises he’s a small cog in a big wheel, but actively lives by the mantra of:

“Be the change you want to see in the world”

He’s an experienced marketeer, software developer and a proven problem solver. Notable achievements include:

  • Studied diplomas in Marketing & Mechanical Engineering
  • Former Marketing Manager for Poole Audi & Yeovil Audi
  • Over 15 years web development experience in over 10 languages
  • Ran his own successful E-commerce webstores
  • An integration specialist – achieving “the impossible” on multiple occasions
  • Former Technical Director for an established agency
  • Founded a reef preservation society
  • Volunteers around 15-20 hours every month for good causes

Testimonials

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ wonderful company, very helpful, professional & extremely competitively priced. Nothing was too much to ask with these guys. I'd highly recommend ?

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We've worked with Chris off and on for over 10 years!!! He's never steered us wrong and I'd recommend him to anyone. They're big enough to deliver results, but small enough to care.

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Chris and his team are incredible! Thank you so much for all your help and support. I will recommend you to all my friends in business.

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I was referred to Honest by Tessa from Clubhub another customer. We'd been quoted £12K for our android app and were turned down for funding. Chris and the team had built Clubhub so we asked and they quoted £2,400! We were just amazing, it seemed too good to be true they even included an iphone app in the same price. Eventually we gave them a try just paying a deposit and quickly realised they are the real deal. Our app is now on version 2.2 and has had over 4000 downloads

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Dorset Tech are easily one of the great local agencies when it comes to digital marketing. As a small agency owner myself I'm not afraid to say that they set a high bar of standard that we strive to match ourselves.

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Absolutely fantastic company! Extremely helpful, knowledgeable and patient with the not so tech savvy! Have bought 2 computers from them now and the after care and support is second to none. Highly recommended!!

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I can thoroughly recommend Dorset Tech. Everyone is so pleasant and helpful. I recently had a new battery in my husband’s iPad. As he is ill and very vulnerable, Chris took it into the shop to save me going twice. Unfortunately they had a break in, so the repair was a bit delayed. They gave me a discount for inconvenience, which I certainly did not expect and apologised as it took longer than usual. I cannot fault the team. Thank you.

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The people I dealt with at Dorset Tech were wonderfully friendly and equally professional. They handled my need for urgent repair calmly and diligently; completing it in under 2 hours at a fair price. This is the second repair they have done for me and, each time, the service has been fantastic. I can’t recommend them highly enough. Peter

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All round good experience, they weren't trying to "make money" unnecessarily, just do the best they could for the customer. Would certainly recommend, excellent. Thanks

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"Tech Bar (Gillingham) replaced my cracked iPhone screen, same day, within an hour. Polite, friendly staff, good price, and phone looks and feels brand new. Thanks very much, I will recommend you to anyone who asks me."

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"Working with Dorset Tech has been absolute pleasure. At every stage they have patiently accommodated our requests for large and small changes to the design of the web site. They have really listened to us throughout the project and we are very happy with the results. We also look forward to having continued support from Dorset Tech as the website develops further in the future."

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"Honesty and integrity are words flung around way too much. Chris embodies these ideals and it shows in his work and the way he conducts himself. With an absolutely solid understanding of the web as whole and a thorough technical background, he is the perfect mix between client facing communication and a skilled productive developer."

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"Chris is a very organised person with outstanding knowledge of the target market. It has been pleasure, both for myself and my team to be able to work with Chris."

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"Chris possibly knows more about marketing than I've had hot dinners.... and I've had a few! He's also a very knowledgeable person in the specialist field of marketing. Put these two together and you have a formidable force on your side"

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"Can’t recommend Dorset Tech enough they are absolutely amazing!"

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"Chris comes highly recommended by me as a creative and experienced Marketing expert. Being very intuitive into market trends his knowledge is very extensive."

Superhero HQ

Opened in December 2019, Superhero HQ on Gillingham High Street has become the head office of the entire group. An office, makerspace and superhero shop has made us a big part of the community.

Directly opposite Lidl, you can’t miss our vibrant signage and digital video signs! Come in for a freshly ground coffee while we discuss your new project.

Honest Tech Group always aims to be a remote agency as it allows us to save you up to 70% on your web project, but a selection of our team are based from the Superhero HQ allowing you the best of both worlds and allowing us to provide affordable web design in Poole, SEO and Dorset website design as well as App development. We now also provide  computer repairs in Dorset as well as iPhone screen repair and iPhone battery replacement in Gillingham, Dorset.

  • The new Dorset Tech Superhero HQ
  • Superhero & Educational Shop
    • Official Marvel/DC Merchandise
    • Exclusive Clothing
    • Jewellery
    • Tech products
  • Small Makerspace
  • 3D Printing
  • Computer repairs
  • Refurbished Computers
  • Customer lounge area
  • Product photography studio

Dorset Tech in the Community

How we give back

  • Donate our time to produce village magazines
  • Run a kids robot combat club
  • Free advice service
  • Donations to local events
  • Donate hosting to various good causes
  • Discounted rate for non-profits & companies working with animals/children
  • Help run local community events
  • Free/heavily-subsidised projects for good causes

May We Present Our Team

Chris

``Chameleon``

As the owner of a busy agency, Chris wears many hats. He must adapt to market changes and customer styles - he is ``Chameleon``. With a marketing diploma, a dozen programming languages and 15 years experience under his utility belt, Chris is the leader of the Superhero Web Agency.

Adam

``Zeus``

Adam is our Creative Director and everything he touches turns to gold! He touches every project before it even starts and performs final sign-off to ensure that all our websites are godly!

Emma

``Angel``

Emma is our resident comic book expert! Who better to source the products in our store? She keeps us organised, ensures web orders reach people on time and plays a vital role as our cheerleader, motivating us all throughout the week.

Aaron H

``Insomnia``

I swear Aaron never sleeps! A member of our web development team with a focus for ticket support where everything is often considered urgent. Aaron spreads his hours out allowing him to be more responsive to tickets when needed the most.

Josh

``Oracle``

Josh is our hardware specialist and resident video editor. When he's not helping people with their sites and videos, he's fixing computers out the back.

Bekka

``Muse``

Bekka is our resident artist. Her animal illustrations are inspiring! She delivers the same perfectionism in her logos and graphic design work too.

Gitesh

``Nightwatch``

Gitesh holds down the fort while we're all sleeping, providing out of hours support via our ticket system. WIth 8 years experience and a broad range of skills, he's the ideal guardian.

David T

``360``

David is a great all-rounder - great design flair mixed with superb development skills. When he's not helping you with your site, he joins Chris & Josh in building custom Gaming PCs for the store.

David W

``Tech Wizard``

David works magic with computers. He's also our main ``on the road`` technician, visiting people in their homes and at their places of work.

Viraj

``Gravity``

Viraj is a PHP developer that specialises in API integrations. He pulls in data from third parties just like gravity pulls matter into a black-hole. With 10 years freelance experience, he's already integrated most of the common APIs, so efficiency is a core strength.

Hugo

``Bright Spark``

Our R&D Specialist Hugo has over a decade of experience in R&D for the Motorsport and Aerospace industries. There's little he doesn't know about electronics and as a result, he's our king of prototypes!

Francesca

``Wordsmith``

Nidavellir may be where Thor's hammer was forged, but Francesca is making some seriously powerful copy on her laptop! Francesca has a natural flair for copy-writing and Social Media marketing that converts visitors into customers.

David B

``Uno``

Dave is our SEO specialist and an experienced coder, keeping up with new developments as they occur and building new innovative strategies to get you the number 1 spot - Numero Uno!

Simon

``Swift``

Simon is our resident App developer. With experience in both Native and Hybrid app development and over 8 years website development experience, Simon can cover the server side of your app too.

Todd

``Gadget``

Todd is our in house App Developer. He spends his time turning some pretty quirky ideas into a fully functioning apps.

Mikey

``Padawan``

Mikey is our trainee Tech Hero. He's early in his career, but don't let that fool you!

Freelance Development Specialists

Our core team are backed up by a network of freelance specialists, from animators and app developers to integration specialists and even special effect artists. This means we always use the right person for the job when providing web design in Poole, SEO Dorset and website design nationwide.

21
Current Team Size