Adage Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Audience Services and Database of Virginia Arts Festival

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The mission of the Virginia Arts Festival is to bring world-class performing arts to our citizens and visitors, impact the lives of students through outstanding educational programs, commission new works of national and international significance, and make a tangible difference in Hampton Roads through regional partnerships and cultural tourism.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adage Technologies to accomplish?

• Website development

SOLUTION

How did you find Adage Technologies?

Software partner

Why did you select Adage Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Experience with our industry

How many teammates from Adage Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged Adage for end-to-end company website redevelopment, which included organizational discovery, UX and marketing development, and CMS upgrade. Additionally, Adage implemented a new events calendar component, along with many other new content components. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Simplified CRM increased users
• Dramatic improvement of SEO results
• Discovery resulted in greater brand organization to the satisfaction of every department
• Increased clarity of product organization improved user journey
  
  

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management from Adage was hands-on, well organized, and well communicated. Product managers assertively kept the client on task and to the timeline, while responding to requests quickly with thorough investigation, and implementing quality solutions.

What was your primary form of communication with Adage Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Adage is especially knowledgeable about our industry (performing arts) and intimately familiar with our CRM software (Tessitura), making them an ideal industry partner. I found their attentive discovery process to reflect their experience working in the non-profit sector, which yielded mindful and impressive design and user experience results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adage Technologies could have done differently?

No - I am very happy with their hands-on and communicative approach, and very satisfied with the end product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Digital Marketing of an arts center

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an arts center that does performing and visual arts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adage Technologies to accomplish?

• Build a great website
• Implement a better backend experience
• Create a better user experience

SOLUTION

How did you find Adage Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Adage Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Adage Technologies were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Adage was tasked with creating a new website for us from scratch. They started with a discovery phase that included multiple in-person sessions at our building. They met with our project team members, as well as team members from other departments and led us through exercises and conversations to figure out our wants and needs as a whole organization. 

Throughout the building phase, Adage consistently met timelines and goals, and communicated effectively and efficiently. They worked with us on the UX and UI in tandem and responded to our feedback accordingly. We hit our launch date on time and have been great and maintaining and continuing to develop our website as new requests and ideas are presented.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had sprints with smaller, individual goals. We would track those to make sure we were on track for the main project.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Adage always delivered items on time and were great at responding to our questions, comments, feedback, etc.

What was your primary form of communication with Adage Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are professional and great at their work, but also everyone is very friendly and easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adage Technologies could have done differently?

No, they are amazing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the SVP of IT of American Academy of Pediatrics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.​

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adage Technologies to accomplish?

• Redesigning and optimizing our ecommerce platform to create a simplified purchase path for users, leading to increased revenue.
• Consolidating multiple microsites into a single, streamlined website to enhance user navigation and search functionality.
• Developing a self-service "My Account" portal with features like a Transcripts application to facilitate certification submissions for members.

SOLUTION

How did you find Adage Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Adage Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Took the time to understand who we are

How many teammates from Adage Technologies were assigned to this project?

10-12

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Key deliverables from the partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) showcase a comprehensive digital transformation initiative spanning multiple phases:

• E-commerce Optimization: Redesigning the shopAAP platform with a simplified purchase path, resulting in a 20% increase in revenue. This foundational improvement streamlined transactions for members and customers alike.
• Consolidation and Streamlined Navigation: AAP integrated 16 microsites into a cohesive website, enhancing federated search and providing a unified user experience across platforms.
• Agile Scrum Adoption and Quick Wins: Transitioning to Agile Scrum methodology allowed AAP to address immediate challenges, such as redesigning their homepage based on member feedback. These quick wins included implementing a polling widget that led to over 65 site improvements and a 57% response rate increase.
• Major Upgrades and Personalized Tools: Deliverables included creating a centralized "My Account" portal for personalized member services, implementing a member directory, and enhancing enterprise search functionality across 16 websites to unify content and improve usability.
• Strategic Content Management: Adage conducted a content audit to improve search relevance and structure, ensuring members could easily find resources, whether on web pages or PDFs. This effort enhanced both user satisfaction and operational efficiency.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increased revenue through a vastly improved ecommerce platform and meeting the core principals of our project(s) - to simplify our landscape, personalize it, and build connection for our members. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was great. On-time, on-budget. Always very responsive to our needs and that of our organization and members.  

What was your primary form of communication with Adage Technologies?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

First and foremost, they took the time to get to know us and understand our needs and desires and the nuances of our organization. They did not come in with a predetermined solution, as many vendors do. Also, they have been flexible enough to adjust as our work together has evolved over time. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adage Technologies could have done differently?

All organizations have opportunity for improvements, and Adage has continued to work with us to adjust when and where things can or should be done differently. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Web Manager of San Francisco Opera

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The San Francisco Opera has been thrilling audiences since 1923 and is know for commissioning numerous world premieres, training some of opera’s greatest young artists, and creating innovative programs and events to inspire a new generation opera goers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adage Technologies to accomplish?

• Rebuild and refactor the ecommerce purchase path
• Update the design, look and feel of the website
• Upgrade the CMS to a stable, scalable, cloud-hosted solution.

SOLUTION

How did you find Adage Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Adage Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Industry Experience

How many teammates from Adage Technologies were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

SFO partnered with Adage Technologies for a full website redesign and rebuild, leveraging its fully-custom commerce solution (ACE) built on Optimizely's Episerver CMS and integrating with the Tessitura CRM. In addition to engaging with Adage for Strategy, UI/UX Design, and website application evelopment for the rebuild project, SFO also partners with Adage as its trusted partner for ongoing website support and development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The measurable oucomes from a project this size included, but not limited to:

1. The project was accomplished on budget and within the necessary time frame (5/5)
2. The design was expertly executed and well received by our community and patrons (5/5)
3. The solution is stable and scalable and meets demand during peak periods (5/5)
4. Adage is committed to ongoing support and partners with us to solve ongoing issues (5/5)
5. Adage's expertise and their custom ACE (commerce engine) built on Optimizely's CMS gives San Francisco Opera a leveragable advantage for customing and configuring events so that our patron's can maximize their experience at both our venue and as they engage with us online.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Adage's project management uses a multiple teams approach that is durable and flexible.  Our project manager is extremely proficient in Tessitura (a CRM used in the Arts industry) and her background and project management experience was instrumental to a friction-free delivery.  Adage's process is able to adapt as business conditions change or additional experience is needed in some areas of project.  
I consider Adage to be a world-class delivery organization with an impeccable process. Our deliverables were always delivered on time. Their responses to our needs showed their flexibility (with the typical "wouldn't it be cool if ..." and "gotta haves" in a project) and their discipline to keeping the project on track (time and costs). Their developers actively listened to requirements and were instrumental in getting our team exactly what they needed. 

What was your primary form of communication with Adage Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Certain tools, while available from the CMS vendor, were available but lacked many of the features necessary for people in the Arts industry -- so Adage built a solution on top of their CMS. And, their ability to adapt to their customer's needs, meet the expertise requirement for the industries they serve, their professionalism, and their partnership are some of their most impressive attributes.  

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adage Technologies could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of software engineering for a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Adage Technologies?

We were trying to update the documentation and usability of our API so that software development companies that use our platform could have an easier time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially contacted Adage Technologies because they had experience working with our API. We got in touch, described the project, and had a phone call to write up the scope. They provided a bid back, which looked great.

Since then, we’ve had weekly check-ins and a dedicated Slack channel to interact with the engineers working with the API and updates to the help pages. They use C# and .NET.

What is the team composition?

We’ve interacted with two engineers, a project manager, and a business development person, and they’ve all been great.

How did you come to work with Adage Technologies?

They’ve worked with several of our users for many years. They had customized solutions for people that use our platform. Their API integrator worked with our product, so we had an existing business relationship with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in February 2022, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ll measure success once we release the platform and usability of the API, so we won’t be able to do that until the general release in June. However, we can already tell that their work has had significant value. They’ve put a lot of effort into clarifying how the API operates.

How did Adage Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great. They’re very organized and clear about dates. We’ve hit all our targets, so we don’t have complaints. We mainly use Jira and Slack for communication. Also, we have weekly Zoom meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re organized and quick to act.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on the scope.