Orases

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SVP of the Retail Banking Group at the Frederick County Bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We wanted to redesign our 5-year-old website, which was stagnant, not user-friendly, and unappealing. It did not show our brand’s personality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with our team and the external marketing firm that we use. They were responsible for overall functionality, but specifically built the backend while the marketing firm designed the frontend. Integrated bank services into the new website included: investor relations software, financial calculators, and online loan application software. The team also made sure our website compliant with ADA and WCAG.

The team used 24Watch, their software, to complete the redesign. The site launched November 20, 2017.

What is the team composition?

I met with the project manager and lead designer on a regular basis. In between meetings, I coordinated with the project manager. There were 8-10 team members behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Orases?

We considered them 6 years ago for a similar project but chose an alternative company due to the cost differential. Then, we reconsidered them for this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began May 2017 and ended November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The positive feedback that we’ve received reflects our personality and brand image. Practically, the site is more user-friendly and simpler communication lines have generated more points of contact with clients. However, the site is too new to say how these results affect our bottom line.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed beautifully and were particularly impressive under pressure. Our project manager had to step aside 10 days prior to the launch due to a medical emergency. Although I panicked at the timing, the team was well-organized for the transition. Her replacement hit the ground running, communicated well, staying on deadline and budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great partners for us and the marketing team. All three are locally-owned businesses in the community, which we considered integral to the collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. This was my first web project and the team was very patient with all questions and requests.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay open-minded and go for it. Clear communication and business objectives are key.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

From 2011–2012, I was the president of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Our club was growing, but our current website was stagnant and didn't provide the options we needed. We needed a new website that would allow us to communicate with our members and and vice versa. We also wanted different access points for the 2,000–6,000 visitors and 600 volunteers involved in our big, 3-day Oktoberfest fundraiser event.

That year, we also decided to transition from a monthly printed newsletter to one that we posted online. The bottom line was that the site was a bit archaic and we needed to make use of new technology and functionality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope was building an entirely new website: gathering information to populate it and adding pictures, history, and the directory. We had 175 members, so there was a lot of data to obtain for each person’s profile.  They also set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account that was linked to the website.

They added functionality for members and visitors to sign up for volunteering, get sponsors, and find information related to Oktoberfest.

If we'd had to pay someone to do it, it would've probably been a $10,000–$15,000 project.

What is the team dynamic?

Nick [President, Orases], a member of our club, worked on it. Kath [Account Representative, Orases] worked on it as well.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I had worked with Nick when he set up a website for my law firm. I also did legal work for Orases. That year was Nick's first year in the Rotary Club. He came on board and immediately jumped in and volunteered his and his company's time to help with this project.

How much have you invested with them?

The whole project was pro bono.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started on the project around August. I can't remember when it was finished and we launched it. I know it was done before the end of my year as president, which began July 1, 2011. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was extremely helpful. Members used the website on a weekly if not daily basis. It made us much more efficient at communication and organization. The social media component was a big plus. Having a new website and a social media connection helped us recruit younger members into the club, which was a big priority that year.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They did great. They put the project together, ran with it, and completed it in a timely fashion. I was dealing with a lot since we’re a very active club with a lot of members. Other than filling in some questions and pointing them to the people with the right information, I didn't have to do a lot.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nick and his wife, Amy [VP, Orases], set the culture for their company, which is always very service-friendly. They've recruited good people that are outgoing and very customer-oriented. It makes for a very easy, friendly working relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They should know that they're engaging a company that will work well with them, treat them with respect, be professional, and provide a good product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of Tandem Associates, an outsourced marketing firm providing a full range of marketing services, from strategic planning all the way through implementation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We had a client with multiple brands of varying sizes who wanted to revamp one corporate website. The project quickly evolved into unifying the look and feel of all brand sites across all brands, with the ultimate goal being increased sales in the brand portfolio. We wanted to make unique sites for each brand, while making sure that each enticed and encouraged their respective audiences to buy their products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After showing us wireframes that outlined the project, they implemented a new content management system to make the addition of content easier for our client. Since the portfolio included multiple brands (both national and regional), location functionality was incorporated, as was a capacity to parse brand-specific data so that they translated seamlessly to corresponding points across all brand sites.

They helped maximize online visibility through meta tagging and other SEO tactics. The client was more focused on B2B strategies leading up to the project, and making a user-friendly B2C website was a challenge internally. Orases helped them through the whole process

What is the team dynamic?

In the beginning of the project, I met with various developers and QA specialists on the team, but my primary point of contact was Nick Damoulakis [President, Orases]. We had worked together very successfully in the past, so it made the most sense. I had very positive experiences with the rest of the team whenever we interacted.

How much have you invested with them?

This project was about $100,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement took between 6–7 months to complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Site traffic increased and positive user feedback about navigation and the look and feel made our client very happy.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very timely, and kept us informed every step of the project. The planning process was thorough, and there were very few hiccups along the way. They met all their deadlines, and there were no surprises. If something did come up, they would make fixing it a priority.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re easy to work with, smart, and cost-effective. Their team delivered against expectations, and do great work upfront to fully understand what you’re trying to accomplish. They make substantial creative and practical suggestions. Across the board, they’re a very good partner, and that’s why I’ve worked with them over the last 10–15 years.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Green Plaque. We provide plaques, paraphernalia, and certificates for the green building industry. It started with the LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certification of buildings, a nonprofit program in Washington offered by the USGBC [U.S. Green Building Council].

We receive the list of buildings that are certified under LEED, as well as many other types of certifications that have been developed. Once they are certified, building owners can then visit our website and purchase a plaque or certificate for their building. We don’t have a brick and mortar store—all our presence is online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Prior to hiring Orases, our site worked more as a business card with our contact information on it—we needed to build a website that would showcase our products. The site is a bit more complicated than a regular e-commerce site because it needs to be able to recognize who is eligible to purchase the plaques.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After a building is certified, the information is uploaded by the USGBC through us. We generate certificates as well as cover letters for those certificates for many different programs. This is a complicated process, as half the information displayed on the certificate comes from the certifying organization and the other half is entered by the end user. Once this information is entered, it is then locked into the database and cannot be changed. All of this programming has been developed by Orases over the years.

There is a whole process for ordering in which we need to identify the person purchasing the product and see if they are entitled to that particular item. We then send the purchase order to the manufacturing facility. We have around 8 or 9 different programs currently on the site as different organizations have come to us after seeing our capability and use us for the same thing. Orases has developed all the different versions of our website to accommodate different organizations.

When we initially started, we were using Magento and were selling 10 – 20 SKU’s. Since then, our site has become much more customized and currently has a vague resemblance to basic Magento. While we’re still using the same platform, we now have hundreds of different SKU organizations and certifications.

All of the database runs on Orases’ computers, which makes it extremely safe. They run all our data, maintain it, and update it on a regular basis. There’s always something new that our customers ask for and Kat, the project manager, usually takes care of it.

What is the team dynamic?

We used to sit around the table with approximately half a dozen programmers, code writers, and project managers, and I would usually come up with a general structure or architecture for the site. Everything now goes through one person, and occasionally two people at Orases. I don’t have to be in contact with the person writing the code but I am occasionally in contact with Nick, the president, and with Kat 1 or 2 times per week.

How did you come to work with Orases?

We both belong to a business organization, and Orases came highly recommended from there. I had interviewed them as well as a couple of others but found Orases to be a good match and we’ve been working together since. I had engaged with other groups before, but most engagements didn’t last.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $150,000 – $200,000 over the past couple of years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Orases around 8 years ago and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We sell approximately 15,000 items per year and every single one of those go through the website. By market standards, we are not a very big corporation, but the fact that I can do this with minimal employees is huge for me.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re always in contact with them through a weekly meeting on Thursday mornings. Kat is always by the phone in case there are immediate needs. There are periods where I have to use that time slot every week, but there have been a couple of months where everything we want to do has been done and we only have occasional day-to-day questions that can get easily answered by email.

Kat organizes everything so I don’t have to spend more time on this than I have to. She’s my internet person and whenever I have any questions, requirements, or new projects, all I have to do is call her and she picks up the phone immediately, which is a big deal for me. I can also send her an email and receive a response within half an hour. I would love to have someone like her on our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a very reasonable fee, do whatever they say they will, and are always ready to answer my calls. We’ve worked really well with each other and they’ve been very supportive through the ups and downs of our business over these past few years. We can always depend on them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything. Anytime I have comments, whether it’s a compliment or a complaint, I bring it to their attention and it’s addressed immediately.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup is a restaurant company. I was the director of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

I needed a single firm to handle the strategy, design, and development for anything digital. I was trying to find a local partner whom I could meet regularly, who had real expertise in development, and who would be willing and happy to work with external design firms. Not many agencies want the design to come from somewhere else, but Orases was happy with that arrangement.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked on a number of projects for me, the most intricate being the ThinkFoodGroup.com website. They partnered with me and a design firm I’d hired, first to make sure that what we were considering was technically feasible, and that we were answering any related questions early in the process. They then worked directly with the design firm, ensuring that all design files delivered were adequate for the production work, both in terms of assets available, and any other information which needed to be provided.

They built out the site using a content management system [CMS] and handled various changes from both the client and the design firm. They also trained me and my team on how to manage the content on that platform. The CMS was Expression Engine, but we also used WordPress. The site is mobile-friendly, although it’s not responsive or optimized per se. The site is multilingual, which was done through a localization module. It was built from scratch with the Spanish language capability.

Our first challenge from a design standpoint was the site’s complexity — there were multiple visual layers which had to scroll at different rates from bottom to top. They had to figure out how we could get it to load quickly and efficiently, getting vertical and horizontal scrolling within the same page, and integrating that within the CMS, so that when we swapped out photos it continued to function.

What is the team dynamic? 

I worked with three people, as well as Nick Damoulakis [President, Orases]. There was an account person, a technical project manager, and a developer. Nick was involved in any major discovery or milestone meeting.

How did you come to work with Orases?

A former colleague worked for them for a while. She introduced me to their work. I didn’t have any projects to build at the time, but I was doing a lot of design work and realized I didn't have a development resource for it. I happily accepted the introduction, but it took a while for us to actually do any work together.

How much have you invested with them?

The website cost around $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them five years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is still live, and one of the things I’m most impressed with, from a technical standpoint, is how well it aged. Today, there aren’t many decent websites that are more than two or three years old, yet this one seems to be moving along well. 

Visitor numbers increased dramatically, but it’s a corporate page, and it was never a massive traffic-generating site. Our metrics were more internal — our senior leadership could now direct people to a platform they could be proud of. The fact that it’s still there is the most significant evidence of success. If they didn’t like it, it would’ve been gone long ago.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

The fact that technical people were made a part of the project management and client service team was a huge benefit. Having those people on the phone, even as part of the design conversations, and being able to talk about how we envisioned elements like parallax scrolling, or what we wanted to see happen when we clicked on something, streamlined the conversation, once we got to the hand-off from design to development.

Nick, the president of the agency, was always available to me at any time, but, for the most part, the project manager handled it well.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were open to doing things in a different way, and they responded to pressures and requests in a way that’s not typical of the design and build agency.

When it comes to working on something custom and building features into a platform, they’re excited about the challenge, because they have the talent to respond to it. They’re building a piece of software which happens to be a website, as opposed to other agencies, which try to build the trendiest website they can.

I appreciated the fact that they focused on the performance, in terms of what we wanted the site to do, but they also brought me into the conversation about our options and challenges to allow us to find the best way to move forward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have done a good job of being upfront with what it is they do, so we didn’t end up being surprised. Had we hired them for an end-to-end website project, we’d have found their design to be a bit corporate. I wouldn’t hire them for a design project or to create the initial concept, but they never tried to sell me on that, so it’s hard to call it a weakness.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mental Health Association of Frederick County is over 50 years old. We provide a foundation of emotional wellness for the whole community. We do that by preparing resilient children, securing vulnerable families, and standing with people who are facing crises. We have 12 active programs that go from home visiting for the zero to five population all the way to a 24/7, 365 crises intervention suicide prevention hotline. I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We had not updated our website in 10 years other than minor text changes. One of the reasons was because every time we wanted to make a change, it was set on a proprietary programming in the background so we would have to pay to do that and we don’t have the resources to do that. We wanted a platform that we could update ourselves and a donation page that interacted directly with our general management software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had gone through a rebranding and internal reorganization of our programs and none of that was reflected on our old website. We wanted opportunities to have news articles and blogs on the website and also donation system. Orases helped us walk through all of that in a way that made sense for people that don’t work with this every day.

They used a 24Watch business suite background. They were flexible in handling this project in a different way than they normally do. We already had a graphics person that we work with, and she had designed all of our materials when we rebranded. We really wanted that continuity so Orases worked with her to develop the look and feel of the site. Once we approved that, they moved forward with the other pieces.

What is the team dynamic?

We had one meeting in the beginning with one of the developers and Kat, our point of contact. Other than that, Kat was the only person we were in contact with us.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I was familiar with Nick [President]. Our in-house developer also knew him because they were in Rotary together.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The total time frame was a little less than six months which is much longer than their typical turnaround. That was because of us. We were working with a grant that paid for the project. We wanted it to span a certain period of time to work with the deliverables in the grant. We had some internal delays as well due to staffing changes

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we worked with Orases, we thought we had Google Analytics set up for our website, but we didn’t. It was hard to compare the results because we didn’t have data on our old website. Orases helped us get that set up and walked us through the process.

The other metric we were using was whether we were able to streamline our processes and have our internal staff be able to update the site on a regular basis. That has definitely happened. I very rarely do anything with the website but the interface is easy enough that I can go in after not looking at the backend for three to six months and do a tweak without having to wrack my brain on how to do it.

There’s only been one thing that we haven’t been able to do internally, so we reached out to Orases to do it for us. They had asked us if we needed that specific functionality and we had told them no, so that was on us as well.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. They’re very organized. There were many times they were waiting on us because we were missing deadlines. They never missed a deadline at all.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is really good. There was one time we did have a problem, but I was able to call Nick and get the problem resolved. We set up a quick meeting and got the problem resolved very quickly and moved forward with the project. I appreciate people who are willing to address challenges just as quickly as opportunities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because I don’t build websites, some of the language I was using wasn’t linear. Defining what everything means, in the beginning, would be good. I think that should be done on both sides.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a creative director of a global public relations firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We were tasked with building a multi-cultural website, for multiple languages and for different companies in various countries. It was a content and sharing portal, but wasn’t open to the general public; someone would have to apply to be a member. It was basically a way for thought leaders to share information.

We reached out to Orases as we knew it was going to be a big project. At the time, our team was relatively maxed out. With this particular project, being that it was an international facing project, there was a lot of potential risk for mistakes, and we reached out to Orases partly because they had experience in that area, and we needed the extra help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orases took care of all of the development and backend, the project management, in addition to QA testing. Our team had provided the design, and we had other people that were pooling some of the original content that populated the site.

The website is almost like a peer review type of portal, where content is secure, and intended for leaders and researchers in the tech industry. The site allows them to share papers that they have written on certain topics, whether it is communication, technology, or computer science.

What is the team dynamic?

In total, there were around four to five people. We had a project manager, two developers that were assigned to the project, as well as Nick, the President of Orases, was managing the project quite closely.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I have known Nick for a long time, and have known him to be a very smart and responsible person. So, for this particular project, I felt like I could trust him and his team to complete the work. I knew what I was getting in terms of his dedication to the project, and he would make sure 100% that it worked, even if it came down to him doing it personally. Since I was at a company that was very large, with many eyes on this project, I really felt comfortable going to Nick and Orases.

How much have you invested in them?

$75,000—$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Orases in 2008. It took about four months to complete the build.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although I don’t have specific numbers, years later the site is still live today, and they maintained all needs have come up over the years.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They were perfect from a project management perspective. There were a lot of unknowns close to a decade ago when it came to building a large website, but Orases were wonderful at coming out and meeting with us in person. Nick walked through their process, essentially showing us how they work, allowing us to keep the end client accountable for deadlines, and he educated us to a certain extent, so that we could manage expectations on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Orases have done some amazing work over the years. They don’t just take on a project and do necessarily what is asked. They are really good at looking beyond the project and coming up with more of a business solution. They are less like a vendor, and more like a partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were happy all the way through. Managing timelines can be problematic, but Orases were always on time, and there was never a letdown.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-owner and general manager of Monocacy Crossing Restaurant, and we are a full-service restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We have been in business for 17 years, and our reach was just not enough no matter what we did. We were not hitting even close to as many people as we needed to. We wanted to create a website to help us get our name out there. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sat down with Nick from Orases, and he got us on track. Orases built our site from scratch. We are not self-promoters, or marketers, and aren’t good at that, but Orases took care of it all. They took our menu, and beautiful photographs of our food and put those on the site. It is very clean and modern, very user-friendly, and very mobile-friendly. It made an immediate impact on our business.

They really took the entire social media and Google search aspect of owning a business and pointed us in the proper direction. It wasn’t something we were familiar with nor attempted to do in the past. They really streamlined everything that we needed to do where we had been sorely lacking before.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I have known Nick Damoulakis, President of Orases, for several years now. Even though we had been friends for so long, it never occurred to me to hire a firm to help us out with what we needed. After speaking one evening, he mentioned what he did and that they could take care of this for us. He sat down with us, and he guided us through what they do at Orases and what they could do for us. He then introduced me to a few other people in the company and we went from there.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $10,000 to $12,000 with Orases.

What is the status of this engagement?

It was a while ago, and I can’t recall exactly when it was, but it was a very quick process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have noticed an increase in local clientele. We are right up the street from a huge community, and we could not break into it. People would drive past us and head downtown. The website has done a lot for our local traffic and breaking us into our neighborhood market. We were always just a destination, and not so much a go-to. The website has really made a big difference to us.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredible and I couldn’t have asked for better. They were very responsive and communicative. We had a couple of video conferencing sessions and tutorials where Kat [Zoulias, Account Representative at Orases] would walk me through certain things, so that I was comfortable using the system.

Orases are very responsive. Anytime we have a question, or a request to add something to the site, they took care of it. They are a hands-on business, and they make it possible for someone who doesn't have any tech knowledge to manage a website. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very friendly. They really get that they are a customer service driven company, and execute it perfectly. Even when walking into the office, everyone takes a second to say hi even though they don’t know who I am. They seem to enjoy working together and communicate really well with each other, which I think translates to getting things done quickly. They relay the information to their customers, which is the key. Other firms have made me feel like I don’t know anything, but Orases really took the time to figure out what I was looking to do and wanted my feedback along the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were really great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in media relations for a national youth cheerleading and football organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

The purpose of the project was to develop a custom online training system. Our goal was to make sure that all of our administrators, coaches, referees, and volunteers were properly trained to run their programs and to teach kids the proper techniques for each sport.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orases was responsible for everything, from start to finish. They built the system from scratch since we didn’t have anything in place. We provided them a general outline of what we were looking for, and they came back with ideas to develop the site. Throughout the process, they took the lead and worked with the content we gave them. We went through reviews based on our feedback and what we needed for the courses.

Part 1 involved the content itself, which was comprised of courses with different chapters. The number of chapters varied with each course. The system also had media options so that we could incorporate photos and videos into the courses.

Each chapter had a custom exam that participants had to complete before they could move on. Members had to have a cumulative score of 80% or better in order to complete the overall course. This function was built into the system. 

The system had to produce certificates that our learners could use for their certification books. Orases added this feature. Initially, each certification would last for 3 years. Then, they changed the overall course to allow 1-year certifications as well.

Part 2 involved the admin side. For example, we included a number of reporting options in the system’s backend. These features allowed us to download reports of who had completed the test, who had registered, and who had actually paid and taken the course.

On the payment side, each course had a required fee. You needed to purchase a course before you could take the test. Everything was built on Orases’ 24Watch® Platform. They were able to integrate our Authorize.net payment solution into the course for our member organizations. We had to manage that on the backend as well.

What is the team dynamic?

We dealt primarily with the project manager. I remember having a call at one point with at least 2 developers and a project manager. There were also some discussions with Nick [Owner, Orases] as well.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I found them through online research. Orases had some sort of affiliation with USA Football, which is a national partner of Pop Warner. The combination of the research and the relationship with USA Football was the primary reason we chose to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $20,000 for the initial setup.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2009, and the project was finished March 2010. We haven’t upgraded the platform since then, so we’re now in discussions about that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system was very up-to-date, even a little ahead of its time compared with similar products we’ve seen. It was very cutting-edge and user-friendly. From the start, we received a lot of positive feedback from our staff about how easy it was to set up content, even for those with limited technical background.

Our experience has been positive, considering how much revenue we’ve been able to generate out of the system. Since we first launched it in 2010, the organization has made about $220,000, minus the costs of hosting and other changes we’ve done. The ease of use has definitely been a good factor as well.

The overall use of the system certainly went above and beyond our expectations. Today, it has around 15,000 users. We’re definitely looking forward to upgrading our platform.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate because we didn’t have to do a lot of troubleshooting. Every time there was an issue, Orases responded quickly. In a few instances, they’ve helped us think outside the box and come up with alternative solutions. Overall, it was a great experience working with Orases.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service was definitely what kept us involved with them. We’ve had good relationships with the people that we’ve dealt with at Orases.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From a business standpoint, they could have been a little more aggressive in trying to get us to upgrade. They’ve never pushed us to make updates to the system, although we haven’t really needed to until recently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Epicor Software is a supplier of enterprise resource planning platforms. We serve different verticals and segments, including manufacturing, distribution, and retail. I work in the retail division as a senior product manager. My role is to procure and define the products that we sell on our platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

There was a clear need to have e-commerce solutions and options for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our goal was to integrate the Epicor Eagle product line with the Magento e-commerce site of Teskey's Saddle Shop. This retailer had multiple locations and a fairly high-traffic e-commerce site.

Initially, we specified our technical integration details and defined the client’s needs. Orases scoped the project based on that information. We provided the tools that allowed Orases to make the direct connection to the Eagle solution and Magento. Orases’s work led to the seamless integration of these 2 systems, especially product information, inventory details, and orders.

Orases assigned 3–4 people to the project. I worked directly with the account manager, a key developer, and an architect.

How did you come to work with Orases?

As the project lead, I looked for a company which had experience with Magento integrations. Previously, we evaluated and interviewed several custom developers and integrators across the country. However, things just didn't seem to work out well from a timing perspective. Hiring a local company was also critical. We wanted to make sure that we could get in touch and resolve problems rapidly. I surveyed people in my geographic area. Given Orases’ proximity, they showed up in a valid search. What I saw on their site made me confident about their services, as their background really matched what we were looking for. We decided to work with Orases, given their location, background, and extensive knowledge.

How much have you invested with Orases?

We spent about $75,000 over 3 months.

What is the status of this engagement?

This was our first engagement with Orases. I was stepping into the role at the time, and this was an early project for our platform integrations. It probably started in July 2014, and it ended about 3 months later.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From the start, it was evident that Orases clearly understood our objectives and specifications. Ultimately, Orases delivered an integration to Eagle that met both our needs and the customer’s needs. While I don't have specific metrics, the customer seemed very satisfied with the process and outcome. The customer has not advised us of any concerns, nor did they object to using Orases. To me, this alone is a sign of success.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

The Project Management was flawless despite challenging customer parameters and timing because there are always bumps along the way. They were very responsive and diligent. We had a very aggressive timeline driven by a demanding customer, and Orases’s team said, “No problem, we can handle this.” They were disciplined and made sure that we were meeting our milestones and goals.

What did you find most impressive about Orases?

Orases’s team is easy to work with. I've found them to be extremely flexible and accommodating. They were able to communicate in terms that our customer understood. All of these factors led to the smoothest project possible. The client’s aggressive timeline created some pressure, but Orases’ team was able to perform well despite it. For us, that's a very important factor in determining a successful outcome.

Are there any areas Orases could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.