Inverse Paradox

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Westway Electric Supply is a supply house selling electrical goods. I’m the owner and president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inverse Paradox?

We have been selling our products online since 2001. I had built a new website around 2012 with another company in Philadelphia. It was a bit of a challenge because of the size of our catalog. We currently have just under half a million different SKUs on our website. They were trying to do this in an affordable manner for me and ended up creating a lot of custom script on a Magento website. But the base model itself really couldn’t handle a lot of the stuff that we wanted it to do.

Because of this, as the years went on, we started running into indexing issues and some other things because all this custom stuff was written basically over the top of the Magento code. We couldn’t upgrade as new versions came out and it started creating more and more issues with the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I approached Inverse Paradox in 2015, and what they convinced me to do was to rebuild the website using the most current version of Magento. They suggested redoing all that custom script that had been done on the previous website, but instead of hardcoding it into Magento, what they would do is they would try to find plugins or alternatives or create custom scripts that lived outside of the base website. If we did that, any time a new version of Magento came out, we would be able to update and stay current, and we would consistently be able to re-index and do all of the things that needed to be done to keep it functioning properly long-term.

It took a full year to do the rebuild. The breadth of our catalog is so large that things that are normally simple, turn into major projects for us. For example, when I want to manipulate the data on my website in large-scale, I will pull an export file out of Magento, move it into my local environment here, and then manipulate it using queries or macros that I’ve built, and then import that file back into Magento. That export/import function is actually highly complicated in that there’s many different rules that we’ve created over the years. Just as an example, if I had a new image, it’ll automatically overwrite the old image, but it will do this for every field possible.

Then when you start doing this with hundreds of thousands of records, it can become pretty tedious. We had to rewrite custom scripts that could handle that in a timely manner, not take two weeks to complete. That was one of the major hurdles we had with this project.

We also sell quite extensively through paid search, so we needed to create a shopping feed that would go into Google’s merchant center to update it regularly. That was a major undertaking also. We ended up having to create two separate files. One would be like an all-in file that would be updated monthly and then a second one would be a price file that gets updated daily, all of which is done automatically through different scripts. Those are just a couple of the issues that we had to tackle.

How did you come to work with Inverse Paradox?

I wanted to find a company that was local. I like to be able to drive to their office and talk to them face to face if I’m having issues or if we’re talking about new projects and things of that nature. I also wanted someone that was experienced and endorsed by Magento and someone that had built e-commerce sites.

I had my previous web developer outline everything that needed to be done to correct the issues, and I sent this document to the entire list of companies, trying to get an idea of who could handle it. The scope was so large that I only had two people reply back to me saying that they could handle it, and Inverse was one of them. After meeting with them, I was confident that they could, and that it could be done in a scalable manner where I didn’t have to build a brand new site; we could just do a rebuild of the current site.

How much have you invested with Inverse Paradox?

The initial rebuild cost $75,000. I now spend between $1,000 and $4,000 per month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in 2015, and the project was completed in a year. After the rebuild, I’ve still maintained a relationship with Inverse. They perform maintenance, and then anytime I have special projects or I need something done, I give them a call. I’m still in routine contact with them for all sorts of different things.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

From the year 2015, online sales were just under $2.6 million. For 2016, it was a little over $3.2 million. I would say that they had contributed a good amount to that. The owner of the company, Neil, is extremely hands-on, even in the smaller projects. I feel no hesitation to call or email him directly whenever something comes up that I want to speak to him specifically about.

I’ve had many auxiliary projects that we’ve done since then, and he’s had his hand in all of them since. As a business owner, I really like that a lot. I like to be able to talk to the owner of the company that I’m working with.

Since Inverse rebuilt the site, everything has been much more streamlined and much more reliable. There have been issues, but I’ve never not had issues with my website. I now have someone that I can call at Inverse that can look into it and fix it in a timely manner. I’ve never had any issues that have brought my site down for any extended period of time.

How did Inverse Paradox perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very organized. They have a system like Zendesk where every conversation that goes through there is monitored. I know that Neil gets pinged every time I send something through or I open up a ticket, so I know that he’s always watching.

I’ve been happy with the management of each of my projects. Normally when I communicate with them, it’s by email. My primary contact is our project manager, Alicia. I send her regular day-to-day stuff, and if it’s a more technical point, I will start up a ticket so that I know everyone who needs to be involved is involved.

For more large-scale things, especially when I’m thinking of a potential project that I’m considering or I’m wanting feedback from them, I’ll reach out to Neil directly, usually by email. If it’s something a little more complicated, I’ll request a call. If it’s something that I’m really interested in pursuing or something that they want to propose to me, then I’ll drive down to their Langhorne office and they can show me whatever it is that they’re thinking about.

What did you find most impressive about Inverse Paradox?

I really like how accessible Neil is. If I’m having an issue, I know that I can go to the top of the company and get a quick and reliable answer. I also like that they don’t get scared too easily. I had a whole list of companies that I thought could handle my project, but 90% of them didn’t even reply back. Inverse doesn’t get scared off by challenging projects. They look forward to trying things that they haven’t necessarily done before.

Are there any areas Inverse Paradox could improve?

Not really. I’ve been pretty happy with all facets of the business we’ve worked on together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an online retailer for prom and social occasion dresses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inverse Paradox?

We’re trying to grow our business online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inverse Paradox provided everything from business consulting capacity in terms of growing that business to tech consulting and everything that falls under the umbrella of web development. They built an e-commerce website. We still operate in Magento out of the Community Edition. Our site is heavily customized from backend to frontend. In the backend, we’re able to display products in an efficient way and optimize which products show up online. We were able to do a sort order and randomize them. That feature made a huge difference in our sales. I’ve recommended Inverse Paradox to other businesses which have done significant projects with them. They’re working on a project for a company that I’m a partner in. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for small or large projects but especially for large projects. Neil [Director of Business Development & Co-Owner, Inverse Paradox] has a sharp mind for business and quickly identifies problems and solutions.

How did you come to work with Inverse Paradox?

I drove past Inverse Paradox's building and saw their sign out front. We were having problems with our current service provider. I knew Inverse Paradox had done a website for another company that I use. I called Inverse Paradox and set up a meeting, and at the meeting, within 20 minutes, I knew I wanted them to take over. I knew they were the right fit because I told them the problems I had at that time and Neil was able to quickly identify the real problem and offer solutions in the meeting.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Inverse Paradox in February 2011, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our key metric is sales, and sales have gone up over three times. I let the feedback be what the performance of the site is.

How did Inverse Paradox perform from a project management standpoint?

Every web development agency has problems delivering anything on time. Inverse Paradox happens to be better than everyone else. I always want things done faster. Their frequent communication makes the timeliness better for me. We communicated through email, phone, and other forms.

What did you find most impressive about Inverse Paradox?

Inverse Paradox's ability to problem solve is impressive. When you’re in the Community Edition like we are, and you should move onto the Enterprise Edition, they have a lot of challenges dealing with that. Inverse Paradox is always able to come up with a solution in a timely manner. They keep things moving. They’re very responsive especially when something bad is going on which is huge to me.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Inverse Paradox?

If someone wants to work with Neil and can’t make up their mind, I would tell them to work with him. They will be happy. The more complicated the project, the more they should be using someone like Neil. I’m a huge believer in Neil.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief technical officer of the Vernon Township School District, which is located in northern New Jersey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inverse Paradox?

We wanted to redesign our website and do it more affordably.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inverse Paradox does a lot with public education. We've done a couple of things with them, but our main one was the website redesign. We've also had some Internet technology challenges that they've helped us with. For my current school district, he did a complete redesign, migrated all of our content and assets, and helped us with a new web host. We chose WordPress because we wanted something somewhat open-source. Lots of websites are built on that now. We wanted something that was going to be more mobile-friendly, so they made a responsive design with WordPress. No matter how people look at our site, it makes sense and adjusts to the device they're looking at us from. Then there were a couple of plug-ins, like Google Calendar plugins that we wanted and pop-ups for notifications and calendar events. They were able to facilitate the general bells and whistles we wanted for our website.

Besides the website, they've always been a resource when we've come across odd technical ends on the Internet. For instance, our student information system sends our parents’ email notifications. We have 3,200 students with parents who want daily emails, and then some that want summary emails, so our system sends out about 20,000 emails a week. But our system couldn't really handle it. They suggested a third-party service called SendGrid that they helped us set up. It allows thousands of email to go through, and it's been a great service for us. I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for their expertise. And when we switched over to Gmail, they helped us with that conversion process and registering with Google. So they do a lot more than just websites.

How did you come to work with Inverse Paradox?

I actually worked with Neil many years ago just as he was starting his company. We worked in the restaurant industry together, but he was finishing school for intermedia marketing and was just starting his business. I was the director of tech at Red Robin and said, “I want to redo our website here.” He had done a dozen websites by then, so we were a big website for him to get under his belt. He did a great job, and his price was reasonable. His follow-up was very good. A couple of jobs ago for me, we started a relationship. So now whenever I need a website, he's my go-to person.

How much have you invested with Inverse Paradox?

We spent $15,000 for what was a massive website with all of our board policies, as well as parent, student, and teacher tools. That was a pretty good price and of extreme value to us. The web host we were using beforehand was charging us $50,000 a year. So, for them to take over for a previous vendor for a one-time fee of $15,000 was extremely reasonable. It saved us a ton of money.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in May 2015. We weren't going for a lot of speed, but our goal was to make the conversion over the summertime. They had it mostly done by July 2015. We went live in August 2015. So it was three or four months for the whole project to come to fruition.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have analytics on the website as far as the viewership we're getting. It's hard to compare though because our previous vendor didn't give us a lot of analytics. I can't say for much better, but I'm really happy with where our unique visitors are now, the number of users we're getting, and the type of data we're able to share now. For paying $50,000 a year, we didn't get much for our return on investment like we do now with Inverse Paradox. I've had a lot of compliments from students, parents, and teachers that it's generally easier to find what they're looking for. We've got a lot of stuff on the website, so fixing the navigation and making it easier to find that information was really good. As far as us tracking their work and progress, I don't have anything like that.

How did Inverse Paradox perform from a project management standpoint?

Very good. They were very organized. We had an initial kickoff meeting where they set timelines and the assets that they would want to get in a timely fashion to keep us on track. We would do not weekly meetings, but biweekly meetings to make sure that we were staying on track to meet the timeline that we were hoping to do. We did a big rollout when everything was complete. They had a mockup before we went live, so I could let a lot of users give feedback to see if there were any changes that we wanted before we finally went live. It was all very smooth and managed very well. They kept us on the timeline, and we hit the dates that I was hoping to hit.

What did you find most impressive about Inverse Paradox?

Their number one feature is their dependability. They do what they say they're going to do. Their quality is very good, so the end product is very easy on the eyes. If you have a problem, they're there to help you out and save you.

Are there any areas Inverse Paradox could improve?

Not really. I've been with Neil since the beginning, and he started with just a handful of employees. My complaints might have been that, in the beginning, they weren't as organized as they are now only because they were growing at the time. But now, he's got project managers and designers. Everything is in place now. They've really grown as a company. I really don't have anything negative to say these days.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Inverse Paradox?

My recommendation would be to definitely work with Neil. They're a great company to deal with. He's very involved with the community as well. It's just a company that really cares and does a great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the senior marketing manager of a nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Inverse Paradox?

We hired them to build our new website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have a website that’s visually appealing, modern, and easy to navigate. It also had to have the correct content.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They offered a great price. Plus, I liked everyone I met there.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We now have a great website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were easy to work with, knowledgeable, and professional.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Not really. The entire process was flawless.