KDG

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a pool construction and cleaning business with ~30 team members, based in South Florida. While offer multiple services, the company and accounting structure is not complicated.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KDG?

We sought experts to help us migrate our business systems to the Zoho platform. We began with migrating QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. Both Account Services and Development/Migration Services from KDG were engaged for this project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were compelled to choose a consulting firm that could manage every aspect of our systems migration, including custom app building, process implementation and accounting services. The Sales Rep. assured me that the project was aligned with KDG’s core competencies and that we could move quickly. We were told KDG was highly adept at using software to reduce billable hours and increase efficiency. The positive reviews posted on Clutch were also a factor in helping us decide.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The takeaway is that we were charged $20,228 for what can only be described as a 'laughable' finished product. Full details below:

• Step 1 was to migrate from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. We engaged KDG at the end of May but were assured our migration target date of 6/30/2022 was achievable. However, with 5 days before the due date, no meaningful work had been complete. We agreed to postpone the migration date to 8/31 to get the migration ‘right’.
  After TRIPPLING our quoted budget, KDG explained that the system was close to done but that they needed additional time. We reluctantly agreed and kept them engaged as it was too late to change consultants. Again, with days to go before the second targeted migration date, the only work KDG could show us was a complete mess. We were shocked at how bad and WRONG the information was.
  Anyone would have realized this had it been looked at by a supervisor (a recurring issue which plagued the project throughout its life). Only after we complained about the disaster did real work begin. It took +75 hours for the project to begin to come together. Even then, error after error, after error, after error… were found.
• KDG’s most detailed and comprehensive work from came from their weekly invoice summaries for which they’ll bill you just for writing.
• Step 2 was to integrate Zoho CRM, but the project was terminated by us before getting there.
• Step 3 was to build a custom app in Zoho Creator, but the project was terminated by us before getting there.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

After unnecessarily having a team of 7 on the first call (which they billed us for), we ended up interacting with ~2-3 people on a regular basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were charged $20,228 for a joke of a finished product and waste of 3 month of our time. We finished 4x higher than our initial quoted price. Our engagement was terminated after our first of three projects. Termination was due to the poor performance and sloppy work product we received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

• Despite using email and Zoho Projects, time and time again, the team used outdated files and missed clear instructions.
• The process was only effective for KDG to rack up billable hours.

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

Everything on which we were sold about KDG was never displayed. Their use of software to operate efficiently was non-existent. Additionally, the project received no useful resources until a week before the project end date.

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

In short, KDG's billing practices are egregious to say the least. Additionally, the work always returned to us with blatant errors. The full list of areas of improvement is too long to fit here.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on October 26, 2022.

At KDG we place a high value on client privacy and will not publicly disclose any information relating to current or previous clients. This review is especially startling to us because it does not accurately reflect the work that was completed, the circumstances of the client, or any of the related correspondence. We place a high value on accountability. If we ever make a mistake (and we’re not invincible) we own it, hard stop.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of operations at AIM Equipment Company. I oversee the order fulfillment team, customer support team, and systems maintenance team. I also drive business development and culture as a part of the leadership team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KDG, and what were your goals?

Originally, we hired KDG to help us migrate our accounting information from Quickbooks to Zoho Books. They did a fantastic job with assisting us in the migration and set-up of Zoho Books to streamline our accounting activities. We had some issues balancing our books and inventory in Zoho Books as well as assistance needed for creating a budget, so we reached back out for assistance using Accounting Services. They assisted us with adjusting our inventory, closing our books, and have helped with budgeting for the future.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

Initially, we searched online, received various quotations from service providers, and we felt as though KDG had the right level of service along with their expertise to work with us addressing our needs.

Describe the engagement and overall scope of work in detail, including the stages of the partnership and any software or documents used.

We initially met to discuss the objectives of working together and if there was a good fit for both of our companies. Since they had already helped us with setting up Zoho Books, we felt comfortable with their ability to assist us with balancing our 2021 books and fixing our system inventory issues so as not to incorrectly impact our journals. Through the process, they were able to teach us how to better categorize our expenses and address other questions/issues we had since we made the switch from Quickbooks to Zoho Books.

Describe their billing or cost structure.

We have a flat-rate monthly bill that covers the scope of our services. In the past we have also paid an up front lump-sum amount for the project to be completed.

How many resources from the firm's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

For the scope of the project, we work with three individuals: Beth (Lead Accounting Consultant), Zac (Associate Accountant), and Steve (Project Lead).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the engagement or general feedback about the services?

KDG has helped us with closing our 2021 books, addressing our system inventory issues, and training our team according to our needs to our expectations. We have been working toward completing our budget and forecasting, and we feel like we have a team who cares for our business development.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

KDG utilizes Zoho Projects as the primary tool for tracking tasks and communicating updates through the scope of the project. They provide a weekly summary update of their previous weeks activities. A refreshing change from other consultants we have worked with who struggle with project management and communication. We do not have to worry that we are forgotten, even as a smaller business in their portfolio.

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

They have met our expectations throughout our entire time of working together. To that point, they have sought feedback on a weekly basis to ensure that their work is to our expectations with every weekly review we provide being matched with a donation to the charity of the KDG team members' choosing. I love seeing their authentic desire to provide a great service married with altruism.

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

As of right now, there are no areas for improvement that we can offer. We are happy with our service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of a commercial flooring cooperative of approximately 180 contractors. We work on behalf of our members for training, collecting rebates, and similar things. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG? 

We wanted to implement a new CRM system that had custom programming features. To do that, we engaged KDG.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team did preliminary work and decided to use Zoho as our new CRM. It would serve as a database of all of our members while also keeping track of our vendors. 

For custom-coded features, we wanted the system to keep track of vendor purchases. KDG did the programming tasks for that and came up with custom reports. The team also created a separate database in which we tracked all member purchases. 

At present, we’re still doing some development work around new reports and features. The Zoho platform has a lot of capabilities, and we’re using KDG to get deeper into it. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager and a couple of programmers. Our team has also interfaced with one of their accounting specialists because we’ve also migrated to their accounting software.  

How did you come to work with KDG?

KDG was an authorized Zoho dealer, so we contacted them and had a few phone calls to explain what we wanted to do. We eventually visited their site and came up with an agreement. From there, we started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KDG has helped us successfully transition to a new CRM system. As a result, we’re no longer reliant on the old systems we’ve used before; we’ve migrated from three distinct platforms to one CRM system that also houses our database. The new system gives us unlimited access to our data while also creating reports as we go. Overall, the new system has been a timesaver in terms of CRM and database functionality. 

Hiring them to help us transition to the new platform has definitely been a worthy investment. In fact, we’ve had a much easier transition process than expected — we got off the old system after only two months. In other words, our transition has been expedited and successful because of KDG’s help. 

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

KDG has a ticketing system, and their resources are available whenever we have questions. Everything is documented, and we can look at the documentation all the time. We also get weekly updates from them regarding the tasks that need to be completed and their hours and budgets. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their services are highly comprehensive. Because of their documentation of the project and the issues we’ve faced, it’s been easy to keep track of everything. In the few instances where we’ve had emergencies, the team has been available for phone calls. We also typically work things out immediately, and we’re truly happy with that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because KDG doesn’t fully know our industry, we have to make sure they understand what we’re trying to do. While they have a general database knowledge, we have to ensure that they truly understand the specifics of our industry. 

To be fair, since we’ve been working with them for a couple of years now, they already have an understanding of our industry. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

KDG gives you a complete scope of work when you engage them. As a result, make sure you know what you want before going into the project. If you have a defined scope of work ahead of time, you can save time and money in the long run. 

In our engagement, our transition time to the new system has worked out better than we expected because we’ve defined our scope well. The KDG team has told us to come up with a scope ahead of time, and that has allowed them to make a budget and a timeline. They’ve stuck to the plan, and everything has worked out well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for an automation orchestration provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We’re a venture funded startup in rapid growth mode, and staffing up is hard in today’s environment. Our goal was to supplement our staff as we matured web presence.

In terms of our website, it was a WordPress solution originally hosted on Go Daddy, but we’d already migrated it to AWS. There had been scaling challenges throughout, and we didn’t have the staff necessary to troubleshoot and manage the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KDG came in and did a forensic overview of our entire environment, resulting in a list of recommendations. One of our challenges was also backing up our site securely, so KDG put a temporary workaround in place. The solution was so strong it could have served as a permanent solution; they backed up our site directly onto their own hosting. We found this option compelling but chose to go with a Pantheon hosting environment because we were desiring a more off-the-shelf product.

KDG’s team handled the migration to the third-party hosting service and continues to provide support through an SLA.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Kaylen (Design Team Lead) for project management and progress tracking, and Daniel (Senior Technology Consultant) as our day-to-day technical lead. Kyle (CEO) was also involved.

How did you come to work with KDG?

My COO had worked with them and recommended their services. They were responsive when we reached out and said they could handle any amount of the work we requested.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Kyle and KDG have saved us a tremendous amount of strife. They’ve fixed our website to avoid 100 percent of outages and downtime, including during our hosting migration. We turned to KDG at a challenging moment in our life cycle, and they’ve served us as a true extension of our team. They’ve come through for us without being obtrusive.

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

They use a proprietary communication platform, rather than Slack or Google Hangouts. Because everything was stored in their platform, we had a complete record of all our communication. If we had to reference something, it was there for us.

Currently, we have an SLA with them, and they always respond within the hour if there’s an issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest takeaway I can share is that I’ve never felt like I’ve been sold on anything. KDG makes me feel like they’re here to help me. Growing their revenue is never their main goal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Leverage their internal platform, as it’s a great place to reference past communications. Additionally, trust them like an internal member of your team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a communications consultant for Faraja Foundation, a nonprofit based in Charlotte, North Carolina. We raise money for a primary school located out of Tanzania for physically handicapped children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We hired KDG to update our website and give it a fresh face.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We supplied the information that we wanted to communicate on our WordPress website, and KDG just pretty much took off and ran with it. By looking at our old website, the team was able to look at what we had done in the past in order to refresh our platform. They also based the content they had written on a book that was written by two of our board members. On top of that, they helped us with our branding — ensuring that we would be able to show the message that we were trying to get across.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with two people, including their designer and marketing specialist as well as their branding specialist.

How did you come to work with KDG?

KDG created our old website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2021, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve recently launched the website, and we’ve been thrilled with the photos and content they’ve posted on our site. Our platform also has engaging colors so we’re happy with our website's new look.

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

They know how to work independently, and they give us weekly updates about their progress and budget to keep everything on track. We use Zoho as our project management tool, and we mostly communicate through email. Then, we occasionally have Zoom calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve also been very accessible — they quickly reply to our emails.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they just need to keep doing what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you know your needs and you communicate them to KDG, they’ll be very responsive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager for a company that sells diversified equipment. We have three companies, one of which is based in Mexico while two are in the US. In Mexico, we’re an oil and gas equipment distributor. In the US, we also sell pumps and equipment, but they’re geared toward other industrial applications. We’re also doing business in the mining industry.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We primarily used QuickBooks until 2019. As our company grew and needed more organization and control, we decided to jump from QuickBooks to Zoho. For this purpose, we hired KDG to serve as our off-site accountant. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We put all three of our businesses on Zoho, and KDG helped us with the initial transition process. 

At present, they help us with our bookkeeping and accounting efforts; the team works on reconciling our payments, accounts receivables, and accounts payables, and we’re in contact with them on a weekly basis. Moreover, KDG generates reports that let us check our receivables, payables, credit cards, and bank accounts. During this process, they also provide a bit of training to help us learn how to use Zoho.

What is the team composition?

I initially worked with a sales representative. Then, we worked with two bookkeepers for our weekly tasks. 

From there, the team composition has changed, and we’ve been handed over to two new bookkeepers. 

How did you come to work with KDG?

Our company already decided to use Zoho, and through their Trusted Partners program, we reached out to some businesses that were familiar with Zoho. However, those companies didn’t work out for us; some of them were less hands-on, and some weren’t customer-friendly. 

Meanwhile, when we found KDG, we felt that they knew what they were doing. They were also already using Zoho themselves. At that time, we weren’t sure if we had enough work to hire somebody full-time. Luckily, KDG offered us an inexpensive solution than what it would’ve cost us if we hired someone internally. As a result, we started working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $2,000 per month for their services; their hourly rate is $69 per hour, and they bill us around 30 hours a month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KDG’s services are more cost-effective than if we spend money on a full-time employee. Simply put, they help us save money. They’re not perfect — they’re also humans, so they’ve had a few minor errors here and there. However, we’re truly happy with their overall work.

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills are excellent. KDG has followed through with everything that we’ve initially discussed. Moreover, they’re great at touching base; every week, they send us emails about how much they bill us per month and per year. On top of that, it’s easy to get a hold of their team whether via email or phone call. We’ve never had any issue reaching out to them. If we have a question or if we need to discuss something, they’re there. 

Their resources also keep us informed about pending tasks from our side and their end. Overall, KDG keeps us in the loop so we never have to guess or assume anything about how things are handled. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

KDG documents everything. This is truly helpful; records are accessible in real-time to anybody who has a question or who needs to look at old documents and communications. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. They pretty much do everything we tell them to do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you want and be specific. KDG is experienced, so they’ll have recommendations and their own perspective of your project. However, to get 100% of what you want, you must tell them your goals. That way, everything is communicated, and neither party is left in the dark. It might help to plan the engagement on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to lay out what you need them to do. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a multi-national manufacturer of nutritional supplements. Our operations are full-scale, which means that we deal with everything from conception down to delivery. I’m the executive VP for sales, marketing, and customer service and I sit on the innovation team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We were trying to implement our first CRM tool in order to create a custom quoting software. For this, we sought KDG’s expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KDG helped develop a custom quoting application within our Zoho CRM system. We first scoped the work and set up several phases to get to a complete quote for the project. The team then was then involved in the basic implementation of the CRM system, overseeing deals through our order process and getting products into the manufacturing order and into the SAP ERP.

Along with Zoho, KDG used their own software platform and layered it on top of the application. The team also helped us diagram our process wireframes.

We’ve just recently started outsourcing our digital marketing to KDG. They’ve begun to take over our SEO and social media marketing efforts as well as our Google Ads campaign. For the social media marketing, the team handles our LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.

What is the team composition?

We work with Kyle (CEO), two project managers, and several software developers. 

How did you come to work with KDG?

They came highly recommended. I reached out to my old company’s IT manager — since we used Zoho in that company as well —  and suggested that I get in touch with KDG. I interviewed them along with several other consultants and ultimately chose to work with their team because they were somewhat local and had pretty good reviews. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $700,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019 and it is an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KDG has helped us achieve 100% user adoption across the board within our organization. The software is currently being utilized by our sales and clients services department as well as our product development team. In addition to that, we’ve also seen upwards of 500 emails a week, which is a testament to the enhanced communication and customer retention.

We’re now able to track and measure our work, service our customers better, and create targets to shoot for to improve the way we deliver value. The implementation has really just made us a better organization overall. 

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rate KDG very highly on this front. We used Zoho Project to log, edit, and manage our tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

KDG has great quality people who are very responsible, responsive, and customer-focused.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In any software development project, we could always get it done more cost-effectively and stay closer to the budget. In all fairness, though, as the scope changes, the cost does tend to go up, and everything was clearly communicated, agreed upon, and signed off on as we went along.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as internally prepared as possible. Do your homework and develop a really good scope prior to interviewing KDG or any other firm. Ask all the right questions as well. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of MedTech4Solutions. We formed about 15 years ago and are focused on the interfertility industry. We support infertility practices throughout the country.

As a group purchasing company, we’re able to provide substantial discounts on any kind of product these practices buy from medical supplies to laboratory supplies to equipment and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We needed a way to see how our practices were performing. Our laboratories are very complicated because there are many facets involved in treating a patient and keeping their data in real-time. It’s difficult to do all this on spreadsheets and that’s how the industry is today. We wanted an interactive system that allowed us to look at any point in time and see how a practice was doing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We always had a vision of developing a software that’d be able to run our company and clients. Our team wrote down the major modules that were needed immediately and that’s how we started the engagement.

We had long discussions with KDG. They knew nothing about infertility, which is not surprising. We’re a very small niche in the medical field. But we’re an important field; we’re helping couples have children. We spent many, many hours and days trying to educate KDG on the basics of infertility and what data points we needed.

We went through a lot of spreadsheets and gave it all to them. They essentially took a very complex issue and developed a solution that provides a streamlined system we can provide to our clients and ourselves. The software ensures that the practices are running smoothly. We can analyze many data points; that data is extremely important to make sure the laboratory is running smoothly.

The system is a repository for data in regard to protocols. We can update and upload new things at any point in time. It also pulls data into running, exporting, and importing reports. The solution had to be HIPAA-compliant, encrypted, and fast. We’re entering data in real-time in the laboratory, we don’t have time to spend waiting for things to recycle. It also had to be easy to use. Currently, we’re monitoring, fine-tuning, and fixing things.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Robert (Lead Developer), Zach (Senior Developer), and we just had Lauren (Lead Developer) join us.

How did you come to work with KDG?

We looked at a couple of vendors, and I stumbled upon KDG through an internet search. We needed someone local. After doing some research and reading their reviews, I contacted Kyle (President & CEO).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re now beginning to sell the product, which has always been our desire to put it out to the market. We’ve had instructors come in and express they wish they had something like this. The solution is smooth. Our practices and doctors like it. It provides them with data in real-time about how their practice is doing. We’re also able to look at any issues.

A couple of years ago, we had one batch of media that failed on us, and we quickly were able to go through all our clients to see if they had the same media. We were able to alert anyone who had that lot number that they needed to change it out very quickly so it wouldn’t impact or cause any issues. That’s kind of the beauty of what we’re able to do with this system.

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet weekly to go over progress. As they were building the solution, the KDG team would send out versions of it. We’d look at, test, and comment on it in a collaborative approach. They’ve been a true partner, and we’ve worked together very nicely. Of course, there are always bumps in the road in regard to miscommunication but that’s easily resolved. We’ve never had any issues. They’re straightforward and easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team approach has been absolutely fantastic. Being able to be flexible with something that’s very complex and bring it down to a solution that’s user-friendly is no small feat. It’s been really great to work with them. They’ve been attentive to our needs, even during weekends.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been very happy with them. Even during COVID, they’ve been here for us. The beauty of our system is that it’s cloud-based.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to ensure you have a two-way partnership. Lay out everything about your business and make sure they understand. I strongly recommend having a collaborative approach and doing weekly meetings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Broughal & DeVito Law Firm as the Office Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KDG?

Our current IT person was planning on retiring so we did a search for a new company to handle our IT and bring us up-to-date with current technology.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to upgrade all of our equipment and wiring within the building to ensure minimum down time and the most efficient technology.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We put out a bid for IT services and interviewed 3 different companies. Based on meeting with KDG, their references and their competitive pricing, we knew they were the company for us.

Describe the project in detail.

The first step KDG took was replacing our out-of-date hardware and software. The latest security measures were implemented on all of our devices. A rebuilt server allowed us to make the most of our storage space.

What was the team composition?

Initially we were assigned a Project Manager to support us and serve as the main point of contact throughout the project. Thereafter, we got to know the whole team working on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We experienced little or no downtime during this transition. This implementation also increased data security and data integrity.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were kept up-to-date on the progress of this transition to KDG. Everything went smoothly and the team at KDG was always there if problems arose.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Things seem to be running smoother since KDG took over and cleaned up the little things that were happening to slow down our workflow. It is great to know that KDG is on top of things such as our virus protection and updates.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything can always be done faster, but we are very satisfied with their work every step of the way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing and Communications Manager at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges. This is a non-profit consortium of the six independent colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley, PA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KDG, and what were your goals?

We needed a system that would allow students to search for and request to register for classes at a different institution. The request would need to be routed through an approval chain. We needed KDG to develop a customized solution and manage us through the development, training, and implementation process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We went through an RFP process, but we've worked with KDG in the past. We know their reputation for being a partner and treating clients as teammates. We have a small staff and knew we needed a vendor that would manage us through the process and drive the end goals to fruition.

We needed a partner that would communicate openly and frequently. Our decision was largely based on price, as well, and they were able to meet our expectations in every category.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

KDG began by gathering our requirements and making sure they really understood our needs. We shared a detailed process map and they built out a solution in Zoho Creator and managed the project through Zoho Projects. This gave us a central location where they updated the project deliverable calendar, input estimated costs and updates.

In the initial phase, they framed out the process in the system and offered us a screen share meeting for feedback. In the second phase of development, they added features and enhancements with our feedback included.

We held a second screen share with all the end users to test the system. In the final phase, we allowed all of our users to test the system and practice both sending and approving/denying applications. After two weeks of testing and training, they made the final edits and plugged the system into our website.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had two total - a developer and a project manager. Our project manager was our end-to-end contact who met with us initially and served as our main contact through the entirety of the project, which was extremely helpful. She knew us well and knew our project thoroughly before development even began.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The system is now online and operational. Our end users are working with the software and have overall had a positive experience. Anything that wasn't working as expected was addressed in a timely manner and anytime that happened was when we hadn't realized we needed an additional feature or workaround on our end. KDG has been very supportive to our on-going needs.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Our project manager communicated with us at least weekly with an easy-to -follow update. She included tasks that were completed, expected tasks for the following week, and any outstanding action items for us. Everything was managed through Zoho Projects, which kept all communications, meeting notes, timelines, and budgets linked together in one location.

We also had bi-weekly budget updates to keep us in check. They operate with weekly sprints, so at the most we were only ever a few days behind our original schedule.

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

I've never felt more heard or understood by a vendor. They treat their clients like partners and really take the time to understand our needs and build a solution that works for us. They're really great at what they do and they value relationships as partnerships for the long-run.

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

The only area that was a little challenging for us was understanding their proposal from a cost position. They offered us a tiered pricing system and we didn't fit into every category quite properly since we're such a small company.

That being said, they were able to work around that and make a custom solution for our billing that did work for us after we had some clarifications.