Kanopi Studios

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Mises Institute is an educational organization dedicated to researching and teaching the Austrian School of economics and politics. We publish books and journals, produce videos and podcasts, host conferences around the world, and offer free online resources. As technology manager, I handle audio and video production, graphic design, and management of our website. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

We first worked with their founder when she was our project manager with another vendor. When she started Kanopi Studios, we stayed with that firm for support and ongoing development. After a year, we moved to Kanopi Studios. That move was a game-changer, and we've been happy ever since.

What were your goals for this project?

In 2013, we redesigned our site from the ground up, moving our robust website from a proprietary setup to Drupal 7. Our goal was to build an attractive, efficient site that our staff could easily manage and constantly improve.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several vendors. The deciding factor was the founder's professionalism and our ease in interacting with her.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We evaluated our mission and organizational goals throughout the wireframe design, architecture, site management, and launch. We interacted extensively and scheduled many conference calls. Since the launch, we've continued with ongoing improvements, development, and maintenance.

Because our website evolved over 15 years, it was a rat's nest of dysfunctional systems. Building a new home and importing a huge database into Drupal was extremely challenging, but they made it happen.

We're constantly improving our website and launching new development projects. We are working on a text-to-speech project and an API that will expand and improve site performance and features.

What was the team composition?

We mostly spoke with our project manager, information architect, and UX expert. We had limited interaction with the graphic designer and technical team, so I'm not sure how many people were involved. After launch, most of our interactions have been with our project manager and technical lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most obvious impact has been the improved, responsive site design and streamlined website management. It's easy to add and edit content. Another unexpected impact has been the expansion of Drupal site features. For example, it's easier to host RSS feeds of our podcasts and audiobooks, feed them to platforms like Stitcher and Spotify, and add Spanish and Korean translations of our website.

We had 11,507,718 unique page views in 2018, and mobile device and tablet sessions accounted for more than 3.9 million total visits. The website is key to reaching new audiences and younger demographics. For example, 48% of our online readership in 2018 was under the age of 35, and nearly 47% of all sessions occurred on mobile devices. Their team makes this ongoing creative growth possible. Looking to the future sets us apart.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They're professional and systematic. The founder has managed the entire process. While quite responsive to our ideas and suggestions, she keeps the project on track and under budget. Our current project manager and tech lead are fantastic. They're quick to respond to and solve problems.

Since we're a nonprofit, it's important that they are also cognizant of our budget and timeline. They break down invoices, so we know how they spend every minute and dollar.

We communicate weekly through video conferencing, but they are regularly available through email and Teamwork and are always open to schedule meetings. The entire team is extremely responsive, accommodating, and pleasant. Their customer service is impeccable. Sometimes the founder calls, out of the blue, to see how things are going. They make us feel like their most important client.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I've never worked with a company that balances customer service, friendliness, work quality, deadlines, and professionalism so well. They are simply the best. We are pleased to work with Kanopi Studios and always recommend them. I've worked here for nearly 18 years, and hiring them was the best website-related decision we've ever made.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We should have been slightly more hands-off. They accommodated our constant requests and changes, but we should have stepped back and let the experts run with it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an enterprise account executive for a mid-sized technology company. We provide infrastructure to build, launch, and run Drupal and WordPress websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

Our own website was outdated, but every time our marketing team made changes, the site would go offline. We engaged Kanopi Studios to revamp the site and make it easier for us to update content as needed.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to give our site a modern look and feel to reflect our company’s growth.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We spoke with three vendors. Kanopi Studios best understood our needs and provided a solid plan for how they planned to complete the work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Kanopi Studios redesigned and developed our website in WordPress. They now provide ongoing updates.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a group of WordPress developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our marketing team can now push out updates much faster without worrying about site crashes.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project ran smoothly from start to finish. Kanopi Studios had a talented team with proven expertise in web development. They exceeded our expectations throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team truly invested itself in our project and its success. They cared about meeting our deadlines and delivering excellent products.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of marketing for Zoomdata, a modern business intelligence company for big and streaming data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

We needed a partner to administer and manage the website, as well as refresh the design.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to maintain a sound, technical website and refresh the design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The frontend developer and account manager of a previous partner took a job at Kanopi, and when I started looking into them, I realized they were organized and professional. Their team was also skilled, so I hired them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The first thing Kanopi did was a technical audit to determine what was effective and what needed to change. They then began fixing the system, including our hosting situation. They manage our development and production web servers and take care of our Drupal code. They also maintain our site and keep the design fresh and updated; we hadn't changed it in over three years. Kanopi is already implementing the new CSS.

What was the team composition?

I work with three support members, a strategist, and a designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're in the early days of working with Kanopi, but I can already see a huge difference.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They're efficient, using a small set of management and communication tools that they quickly added us to. They work well with our internal team and the multiple stakeholders for the main site, developer site, and documentation site. We have weekly meetings to discuss goals, priorities, and progress updates.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their employees are great; everyone is incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, and nice. They know what the site needs to function properly and to attract and convert visitors. It's a been a joy to work with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Pelo Fitness, a boutique fitness studio chain with two locations in San Francisco, Calif.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kanopi Studios?

We weren't happy with our previous developers, so were were looking for a new vendor ASAP as we started having some security issues with the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kanopi Studios provided immediate, emergency security patching for our website on Drupal. They also continue to provide ongoing maintenance and additional development work for the site as needed. We may engage them for some web design services in the near future as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people primarily.

How did you come to work with Kanopi Studios?

We found them on Drupal.org and were drawn to their website. We liked the fact that they're an all-female company and felt they were honest in their approach to the work we needed done.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably invested less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we called Kanopi Studios for immediate help, they were able to quickly patch up holes in our online security. Their quick response and sense of urgency to our needs set them apart–they were unbelievable.

How did Kanopi Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic overall. We had great success communicating to their team via video conferencing, and they were able to answer every question we had. They also worked quickly and were very efficient with their time, so we got a great value overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We'd worked with three providers before Kanopi Studios, but none of the relationships went as smoothly as it did with them. They're easy to communicate with, making concepts easy for us to understand and remaining accessible to us throughout the engagement. They're also very reasonably priced for a US-based company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were great all around.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, because my relationship with Kanopi Studios was so easy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of marketing for COIT Cleaning and Restoration, a full-service cleaning company that handles both regular maintenance and one-off projects. We have locations spanning North America in Canada and the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

Our website was last updated in 2011 to an older version of Drupal. As a result, it needed to be completely rebuilt on the latest Drupal platform with a UI/UX that could serve both corporate and franchise locations.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a fresh, modern website that would guide consumers through a simple journey.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We learned about Kanopi Studios through a different digital agency that we used for our wireframes. Soon, we realized that we wanted to work directly with Kanopi Studios.

Describe the project in detail.

Before building the site, they developed UX wireframes and put together a design plan via mood boards and a complete pattern library. They also migrated our existing content and introduced scheduling and geolocation capabilities.

What was the team composition?

Kanopi Studios provided an amazing project manager, a lead developer, and a UX lead, among others.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Within a month of launching the new site, our bounce rate decreased by more than 10% in the US and 63% in Canada. Best of all, page views and conversions also increased, growing 24% and 30% respectively.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

After we established an unimpeded relationship with Kanopi, the project ran smoothly and stayed within our timelines. Working with other companies, I’ve only been able to speak with project managers. But Kanopi provided access to the right people. It was easy to communicate with the project manager and lead developer, especially over Slack and Teamwork. Our seemingly instant communication was amazing and made the project flow quickly and efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Kanopi Studios’ staff members are their most impressive assets—extremely intelligent, experienced, and personable. Building a website is never easy, but working with people you both respect and like makes a huge difference.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior IT director for a professional graduate school. We offer an interdisciplinary program that combines elements of computer science, social science, law policy, and economics to teach students how to improve IT systems. Our studies include analyzing the impact of advanced technology on both the individual and society as a whole.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kanopi Studios?

We’d been using Drupal as our CMS for over 10 years before that version neared its end-of-life. Therefore, we had to migrate our system to the new version. However, we amassed a variety of custom modules and thousands of content pieces throughout the prior decade. As a result, the migration’s scale and a proposed website redesign proved more than our internal resources could handle at once. We hired Kanopi Studios to accomplish this project for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kanopi Studios analyzed all of our content and developed a plan to migrate those files to the new version of Drupal. They had to recreate the functionalities we had in place by integrating the off-the-shelf modules that come with Drupal. If a replacement module wasn’t available, they were required to create the unique code themselves. This process included designing and developing a new backend that’s capable of storing all of our content. Once they executed the migration, they completely redesigned our website’s frontend. Ultimately, they delivered a responsive site that works well on all devices.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an assigned project manager, 2–3 developers, a UX resource, and a designer. Different parts of the project required different expertise, but we interacted with roughly six people over the course of the engagement.

How did you come to work with Kanopi Studios?

We sent out an RFP and got responses from multiple vendors. Upon reviewing the proposals, Kanopi Studios stood apart from the other candidates by having the most experience with Drupal. In addition to a reasonable asking price, they provided a detailed solution that accurately addressed our problem.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our involvement with them took place from April–October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Kanopi Studios successfully migrated our Drupal platform while preserving all the content that we’ve built up over the years. They worked hard to achieve a responsive design that works well on both mobile and large desktop displays.

How did Kanopi Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

As with any project of this size, we had to stay on top of everything and spend the extra time to keep communication clear. The project manager was responsive and kept us informed regarding their progress. They gave us accounts on Teamwork Projects so we could track different aspects of the engagement and communicate with them. They met the promised delivery dates, so we’re happy with their overall performance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expert knowledge of Drupal facilitated a quick and effective migration. They also helped modernize our software development process. By utilizing Git source code control and a series of other tools that enabled us to do automated deployments, we were able to develop an updated software pipeline.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any significant recommendations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I find that a lot of clients underestimate the effort that’s required from them to ensure a project is completed on time. It’s important to have an honest conversation at the start of the engagement to outline the responsibilities of both parties.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Program Coordinator of an education company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Master's program in healthcare administration and interprofessional leadership.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kanopi Studios to accomplish?

• Revamp our program website
• Update website design

SOLUTION

How did you find Kanopi Studios?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Kanopi Studios over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Kanopi Studios were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Kanopi because our website need to be updated to a new Drupal migration. Kanopi helped us with the migration and creating a new, revamped website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Migrating to a new drupal level by a certain date and making sure the branding aligned with the overall company

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

We met via Zoom to discuss the progress, what we wanted, what we wanted to change and when we needed these updates made. Very reliable and had open communication with us via email and Zoom. 

What was your primary form of communication with Kanopi Studios?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We worked with a small team and they were all knowledgable and helpful. Work was efficient and they also taught us how to mange and make updates to our site on our own if needed.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Burning Man Project

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Burning Man Project's mission is to promote the values of Burning Man through the arts, culture, education, and civic engagement.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kanopi Studios to accomplish?
Navigation and searchability of web site

SOLUTION

How did you find Kanopi Studios?

RFP

Why did you select Kanopi Studios over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Kanopi Studios were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

produce designs and templates for a revised website, Deliverables include:

• Wireframes
• topography
• color palette
• Graphic designs
• Page templates
• Functional block components

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Approval of designs and budget tracking

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

Working with Kanopi has been one of the best outsourcing partnerships I have ever worked on.  We discussed process upfront and had a plan for deliverables.  They hit all their deliverables even though we had some internal changes

What was your primary form of communication with Kanopi Studios?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Attention to detail and professionalism.  They led us and when we had differing opinions they responded with data and examples

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

No  - They were a good partner for our project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager Administration & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of Informed Opinions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We amplify the voices of women and gender-diverse people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kanopi Studios to accomplish?

• Management for multiple websites

SOLUTION

How did you find Kanopi Studios?

Referral

Why did you select Kanopi Studios over others?

Referred to me

What was your primary form of communication with Kanopi Studios?

Virtual Meeting

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

Kanopi has been providing us with website management for two years for multiple websites. As well, they have updated our websites with pop up features, gating, search functionality, menu redesign, and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Maintain a complicated plugin that's crucial to our site
• Successfully implement some redesign features
• Ensure that the websites are functioning optimally

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

Kanopi Studios respond in a timely manner, investigates issues promptly, and offers prioritized solutions that fit our budget.

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

Great project management.

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

Not at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Assistant VP for Web Strategy and Development of (a/an) Education

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Roosevelt University is a national leader in educating socially conscious citizens for active and dedicated lives as leaders in their professions and their communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kanopi Studios to accomplish?

• Move our public website from Sitecore into Drupal
• Provide ongoing support

SOLUTION

How did you find Kanopi Studios?

Referral

Why did you select Kanopi Studios over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Other

What was the size of Kanopi Studios’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Kanopi helped us migrate our primary public website from Sitecore into Drupal 8, including custom development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Site was built within budget

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

Our project manager was very good, clear in communication. Project was delivered in a reasonable time, given limitations on the client side.

What was your primary form of communication with Kanopi Studios?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are very responsive and pleasant to work with.

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

None that I can think of.