Austin Web and Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re a nonprofit organization located in Texas. We are dedicated to building the culture of charity and philanthropy in our community. Our primary service is an online giving called that serves as a marketplace of causes for our donors.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m the executive director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Austin Web and Design?

Our website was dated and hadn’t been changed in a couple of years. We wanted Austin Web and Design to freshened it up and make it something that we could service ourselves.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They provided us with a WordPress platform. They helped us create the template and design for the back-end of that, which allowed us to make updates and changes when we needed to. They also provided us graphic design assistance for the front page of the site, which was more complicated and beyond the scope of anything we could do ourselves.

What was your process for selecting Austin Web and Design with which to work?

Trusted friends referred them to us, but I don’t know the details. Based on their recommendation, we felt comfortable going with Austin Web and Design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How satisfied are you with the work of Austin Web and Design?

The team members that handled the work with Austin Web and Design reported to me that things went smoothly. In the end, we were pleased with the relationship. I’ve been in touch with them recently regarding some update issues, and I’ve found them very responsive. So, in short, I’m pleased with the work of Austin Web and Design.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I’ve not encountered any problems that would lead me to have an opinion about that.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

We offer a continuum of affordable living options for seniors. We’ve been around for about 120 years but, during the last 15 years, we’ve grown substantially from about 130 units to more than 700 units. We provide all levels of senior care, ranging from independent living facilities to full-scale nursing homes.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m a housing manager, and I also manage our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Austin Web and Design?

We were very unhappy with a website we had developed with a local vendor. We had spent a considerable amount of money developing the site and, although it was very nice looking, we could make only minor changes on our own. We were constantly being forced to pay additional money to the vendor for edits that we thought we should be able to make. Austin Web and Design was hired to correct this situation.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They took our old website and transitioned it to WordPress. They made everything look exactly the same, but gave us the interface and training so that we could edit the site ourselves. 

What was your process for selecting Austin Web and Design with which to work?

The recommendation came from a Web-based marketing company we had been working with.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The total project cost $2,500.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

Austin Web and Design helped us transition to WordPress, so that our content management system was fully editable by us, which was exactly what we were looking for. The project started in 2012, and our relationship with Austin Web and Design is ongoing, since they provide us with occasional support and maintenance.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I wish I could offer some metrics but I can’t. Nonetheless, we are very satisfied with the work of Austin Web and Design. 

Is there anything unique about Austin Web and Design that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The owner of the company [Isaac Simon], who is the primary person I worked with at the beginning of the project, was absolutely wonderful. He addressed our needs, held our hands through the transition and, in particular, provided me with the coaching and training I needed to be able to use WordPress.

But, the most impressive thing about working with Austin Web and Design was their incredibly quick response time. Compared to other companies I have worked with, this level of promptness was very unique.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

During the past two years, their company has grown and they have become busier, and I have noted some decrease in their response time. I’ve had to follow up a bit more to get certain jobs taken care of. Sometimes, one or two little things have been ignored or not formally addressed.

The only other thing I can think to add would be general design issues, it would have been nice to have a little more help with some of the graphic design features.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

We are a nonprofit organization based in Texas. I am the executive director and only full-time employee, but we have volunteers located all around the state. Our mission is to foster and promote the positive accomplishments of public schools in Texas. We do that in a variety of ways from billboards and newsletters to our website. All these mediums are focused on increasing awareness of the accomplishments of our public schools.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the executive director. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Austin Web and Design?

Our existing website was simply unwieldy and nearly impossible to edit. So, we wanted to migrate our existing content, of which we had quite a lot, to a new site. In the process, however, we didn’t want to lose the look and feel of our existing website because that was the site our client base was familiar with. So, both a seamless transition and a quick migration were important. We wanted to avoid as much downtime as possible because our website serves as an important source of information.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Because volunteers largely run our organization, we don’t have a budget to hire a full-time person to keep our site current. Austin Web and Design transformed our existing site into a new one that was more user friendly for our volunteers and easier to edit and update without being too tech savvy. In addition, they offered us a hosting resource that was cheaper than what we had been paying.

What was your process for selecting Austin Web and Design with which to work?

We did not use a formal bidding process. Austin Web and Design had built both the website for my personal consulting business and for my campaign for this position. I knew that the company was accessible, easy to work with, and responsive. Anytime we had a quick question or needed something, they were able to help us quickly. Austin Web and Design could do the project on our limited budget and in the time allotted.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The entire project cost about $3,000.

When did you start working with Austin Web and Design, and is the relationship ongoing?

The project started in 2013, and the relationship continues to this day, since we use Austin Web and Design for ongoing maintenance and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The project was a complete success, and everyone was very excited. 

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We have no hard data, but overall the board members were very pleased with the ease of the transition. The look and feel of the site stayed essentially the same, so things were still easy to find, which is exactly what we needed. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The owner [Isaac Simon] of Austin Web and Design has a strong work ethic and has built his company into something amazing. In addition, he went well beyond the original scope of the project and added some functionality that we hadn’t even thought to ask for, which resulted in increased ease of navigation and editing. 

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I don’t think so. No.