Evermore

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Lund University in Sweden. More specifically, I am currently in charge of a research group called Comparative Literature. I’m part of a small group of research scholars who wanted to create research solidarity within our school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evermore?

We hired them to construct websites for research purposes as part of a university initiative. We’re the first cross-section, cross-disciplinary research group. We wanted an online business card, and a tool for organizing and disseminating research information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

A friend recommended them to us. We got in touch with them and had an initial face-to-face meeting, during which they gave us a list of questions about our needs, our objectives, and the main function of the site. We gave detailed descriptions, even though we weren’t sure about the technical feasibility of the product since we weren’t familiar with IT services. After hearing about the things we wanted to do, Evermore offered us functional solutions.

They questioned us a lot about known competitors and asked whether we had any models to follow. We coudln't answer this, so we did some research and thought more strategically about the market. We are a small group of researchers within a university, so the economic aspects of the product mattered less. We then formalized the pages, chose color palettes, and passed things on to the design team.

The main function of the site is to introduce our research group. It also works as a source of news, informing our followers about events and activities, and allows us to organize our own activities as well. We conduct our own research projects, provide information about seminars, and collect information about comparative literature. The site acts as a knowledge-sharing network featuring colleagues within our university and internationally.

The functionalities and database we required were probably less demanding than many proper business solutions. It’s an online business card for other people to get in touch with us for potential collaborations. We had a test run in the beginning. We’ve updated the site a few times since its launch and changed certain pages to meet our needs. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve had close contact with two people from their team. Based on the number of people who have access to our administration portal, I believe that Evermore assigned five people to our project. We’ve worked directly with their project manager, who passed on relevant information to the designated resources.

How did you come to work with Evermore?

We found them through a friend’s recommendation. We weren’t sure what a collaboration like this would be like, since no one in our group had worked with web design companies. At the same time, we didn’t have a massive budget in the beginning to contact bigger and better-known companies. It was just a small trial. We were looking for a provider that worked with small startups and businesses.

I got to know Evermore’s marketing representative and looked at their past work. They were a relatively young group, and they were quite enthusiastic about our project. The scale and experience of the company already made them a suitable choice. We didn’t consciously compare their offer to those from other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been €5,000–€8,000 ($5,833–$9,333 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Evermore from June to October 2017, then signed up for another year of maintenance work. We’ve made some minor page modifications as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone in our research group has been extremely impressed by the design of the website and the services provided. Evermore was very quick to reply to our questions and modification requests, and patient in training us after passing off administration of the site. None of us were IT-savvy, but they trained us through Skype and guided us through the website’s various functions.

The site helped us consolidate our online identity. We’ve had quite a few international scholars give talks at our university. Having a website like this has definitely helped convince them to come, since it showed them who had already been here and what topics had been addressed. It has made a huge difference in the way we present ourselves.

Our audience is fellows and colleagues more than investors and clients. Evermore has helped us expand and consolidate not only our identity, but also our professional network. People who were impressed with our work and online presence have started to contact us. They want to use our platform for announcements and promotional activities about their own publications or books.

How did Evermore perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is done through Skype or email, and we also use Basecamp for collaborative work. They were quick to reply to messages and questions. Since we didn’t know how IT projects were run, we expected to progress slightly faster in the beginning. We set a deadline at the later stages of the discussion, once they were sure exactly what was involved. Once we had that, everything was done according to the schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were approachable, especially their marketing official. The whole organization was very professional. We didn’t have business experience, but they improved our marketing, visibility, and online presence. They helped us rethink how we reach out to people.

Apart from their organizational competence and efficiency, and their speed in replying to our inquiries, I was most impressed with Evermore’s ability to help us think about the online space in a more businesslike way. We weren't expecting that.

In the beginning, we gave them some ideas to put into a product. Evermore asked us a lot of questions about goals, clickthrough rates, and competitors. We've learned quite a few things from their business mindset.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications Manager of an advocacy

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Public health technical advocacy and evidence-based policy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Evermore to accomplish?

• Website improvement

SOLUTION

How did you find Evermore?

Referral

Why did you select Evermore over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Good track records

How many teammates from Evermore were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Improve website so it meets the usability standards and web design best practices and providing support and maintenance to the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Improved layout of website, quick turnaround time for tasks, website is more intuitive

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

Timely on deliverables. Very responsive to evolving needs and always providing suggestions to better the my needs

What was your primary form of communication with Evermore?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Strong team and clear communication. Their honesty was most impressive. 

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

Propose more ideas to add interactivity in website