Web Design for Care Company
- Web Design
- Confidential
- July - Oct. 2011
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
"They're [A.S. Designs & Services] always very flexible, and I think that overall their work has been really great."
- Other industries
- Phone Interview
- Verified
A.S. Designs & Services helped the client design their new website, upgrade their customer communication system, and create a client login platform.
A.S. Designs & Services pleased the client by delivering high quality work that received positive feedback. The agency was praised for their professionalism and punctuality. There was no criticism for A.S Designs & Services and they are recommended to others.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Could you give me a brief description of your company?
I work for a company in the healthcare industry [that deals] specifically under risk management and worker's compensation. We handle clients in a variety of different industries ranging from municipalities to cities, counties, several school districts, and governmental agencies, in addition to higher education institutions, regional construction companies. Our job is to help employers when they have employees who have occupational injuries, help them return to work faster. We have a return to work program [and] we have case management. We help employers contain costs.
What's your current role and responsibilities within the company?
I oversee marketing and business development.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What was the business challenge that you were trying to address?
We were introduced to A.S. Designs & Services through a colleague. When I first started, it was very evident that our company's website and really just overall communication efforts were really outdated. I think our website was built in the '90s, and we were paying a month-to-month retainer for that previous vendor. Every update that we needed to do on the website, he had to do. We didn't have a content management system. We didn't use anything that was necessarily user friendly. So, my first project actually, coming on board, was to seek information, really go through an RFI [request for information] process and get information from different website companies, and programming companies, to see what that might look like for us. We had to do a lot of customization with our site, and so we needed somebody to work with us from a budget standpoint but also from a user-friendly, accessibility standpoint.
SOLUTION
Can you tell me about the scope of the project?
We went through a pretty detailed and customized process of what our website was going to look like and what it needed. So our process from beginning to end was to build and talk about what we want the website to look like, and it's been specific to the site. Because of the kind of work that we do, we needed it to be something that our clients could use, and also to be informational for prospects as well.
We needed a very detailed provider search. So, those types of projects were very hands-on. They're located in Hawaii, so we had a time difference, which is something that I confronted right before we started, ensuring that that wasn't going to be a problem. Every step of the process was really quite smooth. We worked through time differences, and we were able to communicate with each other on those particular projects. Something else that we've done with them, outside of the website, is our email newsletter, our email communications with clients. We built an actual, it looks like what a Constant Contact would be for a lot of companies. We had a customized email newsletter system setup. It was built by A.S. Designs & Services. I log in as the company, and we can build templates and information, keep our distribution list steady. We design customized templates we're able to use and send out to the people who we have on those distribution lists accordingly.
The third thing that we're working on currently is a client login platform. So, we're just now in the programming stages of that, but it will be an option now for our client to log into our website, and have that feature so that they can go in and receive their monthly cost savings report, and any information we want to provide them. It's all through one platform, through the website, versus doing everything through email.
What was your process for selecting to A.S. Designs & Services with which to work?
With the size of our company, customization is important but it was also really great to work with their team specifically, and that's really what stood out when we went through the proposals, and we saw the handful of them that we got. I think budget was one thing. They were able to work with what we needed, and what we needed to accomplish. But, really just from beginning to end, the presentation of their proposal was excellent. We had a committee that went through all of the different responses, and our team had just felt like they responded in a way that was most fitting to what we needed. Very professional and very accommodating, and we needed that flexibility with our time and our execution. A company of our size, it can take some time to make sure that we go through all the approval processes, just because there's so many people wearing so many different hats. So, they were very flexible with us, which allowed us to meet our deadlines pretty efficiently.
Can you give us a cost estimate of the project?
I think our first initial website, the programming and execution, et cetera, was probably about $7,000 after we were all done. Pricing-wise, it worked well because we were able to say, "OK, this is the initial, and then any project after that has just been by the hour." So, we pay by the hour now. We don't have a month-to-month retainer. It's just when we need them we say, "this is what the project might be."
When was the project started and completed?
We started in July of 2011, and we finished the project in October of 2011.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered?
Really overall, it being user friendly was our first and foremost objective. So, that feedback was definitely given. We're using WordPress, and it was something that was designed by A.S. Designs & Services through the WordPress platform. From an internal perspective, that's been instrumental in helping us do what we need to do with updates, and everything happening in a timely manner, versus waiting for someone else to do it. So, that part has been neat. I think just from our clients, I always hear that it's very user friendly. It looks professional. I think it does its job in giving information that's needed to both our current clients and also our prospects and those that we're talking with currently. So, I think that the website user friendly and accessible is probably overall feedback I've gotten.
How well do you think A.S. Designs & Services has performed overall?
I think they've done great. I worked with Ian [Hatch], the owner, personally, and something that he always shared with me is that we can always find a way to make whatever the end result that's needed happen. I think that there's a lot of comfort in that for us, as a client of his. It could be a budget question, or it could be something that may or may not make sense, but they're open to having the conversations about how we could make this work. So, they're always very flexible, and I think that overall their work has been really great.
When working with them, is there anything you'd consider unique or special about them that distinguishes them from other vendors you've used?
They're in Hawaii and we're in continental United States, so it's different working with a company with that culture, versus a company here. I think something that makes them unique is that they bring that very unique laid-back culture. They're professional, and they're to the point, and they always make their deadlines, but they also offer a great vibe as well. We're different in time, but it has never prevented us from getting done what we needed. So, I think that flexibility has been key as well.
Is there any area they could improve on or that you would do differently?
I really can't think of anything.
RATINGS
-
Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
-
Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
-
Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
-
Willing to Refer
5.0NPS