Grey Sky Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a transportation company that works with casinos.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Grey Sky Media?

We worked with Grey Sky Media to develop data by swiping a Driver’s License to submit for a casino.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Grey Sky Media helped integrate technology whereby the casino can pull data from the cloud, meaning we wouldn’t have to enter their firewall. It uploads into the cloud and back into the player’s card, which will streamline the arrival process.

As part of the process, we told them our idea and explained the challenges that we have. Then, they came in and learned all of the aspects of our situation, and advised us on our options for now and later down the road.

What is the team composition?

I work with three people from their team, including a developer and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Grey Sky Media?

We advertised our needs, and we interviewed Grey Sky Media over the phone. I was comfortable with them and impressed by the graphs of their plans. They didn’t try to sell us anything, just make our idea work.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017, and our work is on pause because of COVID-19.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re able to attend the meetings with me to integrate a system with the casino. The team understands the backend and works with the Casino IT to read the language between what we’re selling and what our return will be. Besides, all the knowledge that they have, they have a professional attitude that makes me want to recommend them to anyone.

How did Grey Sky Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on time. We use them 24/7, so if anything breaks down, they can troubleshoot it right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to what we’re saying and always try to accomplish our goals. In contrast, a lot of other vendors don’t have the knowledge to deliver the same level of service. The team really cares.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if they expanded and got more people in the office.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do your homework and present what you want. Also, it’s important to ask them about the most efficient technology to use.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of a business service firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Grey Sky Media?

Our website was built over 10 years ago and it showed. We initially hired Grey Sky to update and refresh the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Grey Sky did a full audit of our site and found it to be in worse shape than we thought. It was built so poorly that they proposed a complete website overhaul. We agreed and adjusted the scope accordingly. They proceeded to rebuild the entire architecture of the site’s MODX CMS by restructuring the hierarchy of folders and using templates to optimize their code.

They integrated additional features to facilitate communication between the public and contacts within our organization. They also utilized responsive web design to ensure the site is user-friendly on any device. Additionally, they developed a section of the site that’s inaccessible to the public. Only users with sign-in information have the privilege of accessing some content. Grey Sky continues to host the site and performs ongoing maintenance. That includes bug fixes and providing scheduled enhancements.

What is the team composition?

Their owner was our primary point of contact during the project. Now that the site’s complete, I email their general support address.

How did you come to work with Grey Sky Media?

I searched online for MODX developers and Grey Sky was the only firm that returned my phone calls.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project took place from January 2015–January 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site gets around 3000 more page views a month since Grey Sky finished the redesign. User feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with people describing the new site as “amazing.” There’s so much content available on the frontend that some users don’t bother to log in. Other users have pitched ideas to further improve the site, but no one’s said they’re disappointed with the updates we’ve made.

How did Grey Sky Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They reliably tracked their hours and handled the engagement professionally. If something looked like it was going to drive us over budget, they told us up front and did their best to mitigate that. We used Trello to track their progress during development, but they’ve since switched to using Teamwork as a project management tool. We primarily communicate via email or phone. We also try to schedule in-person meetings every couple months.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was extremely impressed with their personality and enthusiastic approach to the project. They were really excited to help our organization and promote their services by building a great product. It seemed like a passion project for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any reasonable suggestions. They were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Grey Sky is a smart team with a lot of innovative ideas. When working with them, be prepared to hear things that you hadn’t considered before. New ideas can be a good thing, or they can be distracting. They try to come up with imaginative solutions to every situation and I think that’s a strength. Go into the engagement with an open mind and hear what they have to say, but also have the assertiveness to select the straightforward option when it’s more beneficial.