From confusion to clarity — our digital expertise helped position StratEx as a category leader and accelerated its path to acquisition.
StratEx Overview
StratEx was a Chicago-based human capital management (HCM) company that provided cloud-based HR software and services tailored for the restaurant and hospitality industries. Known for its intuitive platform and hands-on support, StratEx helped small to mid-sized businesses streamline critical HR functions such as onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, scheduling, and labor law compliance. The company distinguished itself through a combination of robust technology and personalized service, enabling clients to manage HR complexities more efficiently and stay focused on operations.
StratEx’s strong reputation in the hospitality sector, combined with its modern tech stack and deep customer relationships, led to its acquisition by Toast, a restaurant-focused point-of-sale and technology platform, in 2019. The acquisition enhanced Toast’s all-in-one offering by integrating comprehensive HR and payroll capabilities, empowering restaurants with a more complete solution for managing their teams.
Problem
When we began working with StratEx, their website was underperforming across the board. It wasn’t optimized for conversions—functioning more like a leaky bucket than a lead generation engine. Visitors arrived but rarely took action. Compounding the issue, the brand messaging lacked clarity; it wasn’t immediately obvious that StratEx specialized in HR solutions for restaurants. This created friction in the user journey and confusion about their value proposition, severely limiting marketing ROI.
Solution
We took a comprehensive approach to transform StratEx’s digital performance:
Website Optimization & Conversion Rate Improvements
In Version 1 of the website overhaul, we introduced clear, conversion-driven UX design anchored by a strong hero message targeted at restaurant operators. In Version 2, we evolved the site with a modern video background and refined layout that communicated trust and specialization instantly.Messaging & Positioning
We repositioned the brand with language that clearly spoke to restaurant owners and HR managers, helping differentiate StratEx from generic HR software providers.Performance Marketing & SEO
We launched integrated campaigns across paid search and paid social, ensuring immediate visibility to key decision-makers. Simultaneously, we implemented a robust SEO strategy that included optimized content and landing pages targeting high-intent keywords like “HR for restaurants.”Lead Generation Infrastructure
We built out landing pages, lead capture forms, and nurtured funnels to streamline the path from interest to demo request, increasing marketing-qualified leads significantly.
Results
Conversion Rate Growth
The website’s conversion rate increased dramatically to 3%, up from an estimated <0.5%, surpassing industry benchmarks for B2B SaaS in the HR space.Top SEO Rankings
StratEx ranked in the top 3 positions on Google for high-value search terms such as “HR for restaurants,” creating a steady stream of organic inbound leads.Sales Team Expansion & Revenue Impact
The influx of qualified leads directly contributed to the growth of the sales team from 3 to 20 people, enabling StratEx to scale outreach and close more deals. Collectively, the improvements helped generate an approximately $4 million in additional annual recurring revenue (ARR).
