Oyova

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Photolucida is an arts nonprofit based in Portland, OR. Our mission is to connect emerging and established photographers with industry professionals through online and in-person professional development events.

I am the Program Manager and I run Critical Mass, a juried online photography review, as well as help facilitate our biennial Portfolio Reviews event.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Oyova to help us run an existing custom-built online program that hosts hundreds of entries, thousands of images, and two stages of jurying. After the first year, Oyova thought it would be easier on everyone involved to rebuild this program into our Wordpress site.

This is a fairly complex 3-part program that requires a lot of accuracy in the way the information is portrayed, which varies between each stage. There are also time-sensitive deadlines between each phase.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

Oyova was recommended to us by our previous programmer when he retired.

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

After running through the existing software in 2017 and having a multitude of issues relating to messy coding and some crossed wires about what the program was actually supposed to do, we decided that Oyova would build the program from scratch through our existing WordPress site.

This would simplify the program and allow for us to have a more hands on approach to the programming instead of relying on programmers to handle each step of the program and any malfunctions.

This involved entry forms, a dashboard page that entrants could login to and edit their entry, a randomized 2-part jurying page where jurors can vote on each entry, user-specific payment links sent via email, ranking all entrants by scores, the ability for jurors to save their scores, and a final Top 50 entrant page that exists on the website forever.

In 2018, Oyova built this software as the stages of the program were taking place...this worked in most respects but meant we were in constant communication when something wasn't working as expected. Lots of video calls and emails, but they were very attentive and on top of our issues quickly.

In 2019, the program ran much more smoothly, only experiencing minor issues at the beginning of each phase - a lot of which I could fix myself through WP. And in 2020, past the 'testing phase' most of the program ran without needing intervention from Oyova. Woo!

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

Beth has been with us since day one - she is always quick to respond to our emails and makes sure the team is working on our requests. Ryan worked with us closely the first 2 years, helping build the program and giving us face time in video calls. Ian and Justin have probably built the bulk of our program and Ian is usually the one to answer my questions via email.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After a rocky start (working with an existing program they did not code and knew nothing about), we all got on the same page about this program and how best to implement it.

Now that the program build is paid for and we are back to just paying for Oyova's time, our costs related to this program are significantly less - and that is directly because of their suggestion to build it into our WP site allowing us to handle much of the work on our end.

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

They are very communicative and flexible. Beth always gets back to my emails quickly with a confirmation that she received it and has the team on it, which I very much appreciate.

Our timeline is usually set in stone from the beginning for a 5 month period, but this past year everything got pushed back at multiple points without much notice and they were very amenable to those changes.

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

I appreciate that they are adaptable. And that, even though we are a super small nonprofit and our program is probably small potatoes to them, we felt like they were happy to work with us and make this program the best it could be.

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

The only thing that has happened a handful of times that bothered me was that I would be waiting for an update on something time sensitive and the programmer working on the issue would leave for the day without updating me on the progress. We are on the west coast, so their offices close at 3 our time.

For a lot of these issues, I am the middle man between someone on our site and the programmer working on fixing the issue. So not knowing where we stood with the issue left me either having to ignore the customer for the rest of the day or let them know that there was nothing I could do until the next day.

Not a huge thing, it's just a nice courtesy to get an update when I am sitting in front of my computer waiting :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation provides emotional, financial, and practical support to families with a child diagnosed with cancer. My role is director of business operations, i oversee all HR, IT, Finance and special projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We selected Oyova to be our vendor to develop our Patient Portal with the goal of creating a seamless way that families could requests financial assistance for household bills and be connected to the Jay Fund.

Goals were the following:

1. Create simple way for families to access portal to request assistance, it needed to be web-based, mobile friendly, and have simple user interface.
2. Needed to be scaleable and able to "grow" with the needs of the Jay Fund.
3. Needed to have company that could quickly address problems with the portal and get them resolved.
4. Needed to have company willing to work with broad range of people on Jay Fund team and with our hospital partners.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

Oyova presented a strong case on knowing what we were trying to achieve with our goals and the portal. They also seemed the most agreeable to working with many different groups of people to build the porta.

Finally, they showed the most interest in working with families who have a child with cancer - they listened to what these families needed.

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

Project scope: to build a web-based portal platform that was HIPPA compliant and easy to use from the web or mobile platforms. Deliverables included the ability to upload, edit and comment on requests that were created by Families.

Delivery date was 18 months from start of contract, and they delivered that.

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

2 people. Beth Rener, project manager and Daniel Rener, lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered an incredible product.

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

Beth stayed in constanct contact with the Jay Fund team on the project. She listened to our questions and provided quick responses. Daniel shared great knowledge of the platform we were building and suggested great ideas on things we didn't think we needed but ultimately love having in the Portal.

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

For how small their office is, they produce a great deal of work that is impeccable!

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ERC is a web-based medical referral software system with document processing and signature portals. I am the project manager of development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for a development company to enhance and make ERC user-friendly and time relevant to the medical industry with compatibility for private insurers as well as government-based agencies. Oyova had an experienced staff of programmers and designers to serve our specific needs for HIPAA compliance and real-time operational features.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

We checked with references and had several web meetings as well as face to face meetings to converse with existing services and to inquire about our individual needs concerning database infiltration, email features, flags for guidance, signature acquisitions on iPads.and data retention with security measures built into the processes.

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

As the project manager, I worked hand in hand with the ERC field team and determined what were their specific needs in a feature, outlined those needs with key elements to ask for quotes, questions, concerns from Oyova team. Once the outline and approval for each "project" we worked closely and tested internally as well as field-tested. Oyova would oversee any tweaks, changes, or suggestions. The changes or tweaks would be made prior to the sign off from the ERC team.

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

We worked with several team members in Oyova, project manager, lead programmer, as well as other team programmers assigned to a specific section or task.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ERC has been enhanced in the last five years to accommodate deliveries, reports, searches, as well as fine-tuning and enhancement of the referral process, patient assessments, and deliveries. We feel we chose the right company for ERC's needs and feel very satisfied with the elements of superlative customer service.

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

Oyova is a professional team of experts in their individual fields. They bring together a thorough product in a very friendly and fast responsive manner.

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

They seem very down-home with their patience and understanding the need to communicate on an everyday basis for a comprehensive interpretation of their intentions to make it happen.

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

I always hate to say there is no room for improvement in any instance, but I can say that our company hasn't found an instance where we feel Oyova didn't live up to our expectations and correct any miscommunication or error.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a digital transformation consultant and assist businesses with developing their digital roadmaps to automate internally and maximize their customer experience externally. Ultimately, I help them to gain a greater and faster return on their technology investment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our clients must have well-developed, beautiful, and fast websites. We used Oyova to build work from wireframes and branding guides and to develop custom components that could be used within a WordPress site.

The goal was to enable the client to build their own pages but have those pages properly branded and optimized for user engagement. Oyova developed a custom child theme with complex components on a designer framework with very complex responsive CSS.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

I used Oyova for some smaller test projects first and then brought them on board for this major engagement. The deciding factors were their knowledge of WordPress, their design capabilities, and their ability to utilize frameworks to speed development with great coding.

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

Review of wireframes and branding guides. We worked from Sketch layouts and then developed the site page template by page template. There were some additional interactive elements that were written in JavaScript as well.

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

We had an account manager, architect, and a few developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the site, the client was so satisfied that they have continued a direct engagement with Oyova.

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

We held regular meetings that reviewed deadlines, action plans, and progress with the client.

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

I am a long-time WordPress devleoper and understand the API and development framework. Oyova's knowledge is complete and surpasses my own. Developing in WordPress is only as good as the developers' knowledge of the platform and any hard-coding or shortcuts can lead to disasters.

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

I utilized my own project management system with Oyova. If they are using their own internally, it may be good to have a client-facing view of projects. To be clear, this wasn't something I requested... so I'm just throwing it out there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run an advertising and marketing agency in New York City. Currently, I am the Founder and CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

My client needed a website to be built and that is outside of the services that we immediately provide. So I reached out to Jon at Oyova To help execute this project. Our main goal was to create a WordPress site using a template to maintain cost efficiency but still keep the look of a fully custom Website

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

The most important part when choosing an agency partner for me was their reputation in my Network Combined with their work experience. Oyova excelled on both of those requirements

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

The scope of our project included creating a complete WordPress site. Including choosing the template that would most mirror what my client was looking for, designing each aspect of the website, wire framing and figuring out the UX and UI.

The key deliverables in this project word to deliver a functional prototype to my client about 30 days into the project and then work with myself and my client to iron out any revisions as needed

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

I worked with 4 people at Oyova: Ryan CTO, Beth Account M., Jon CRO, Ian Developer, and TonyDigital Strategist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team did an exceptional job on this project. Our client is very happy and we will work with them again

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

Communication was done through a slack channel and they were all very available to chat with me and answer any questions as well as go through any needed revisions

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

What are the ideas that we have to launch my clients website was to hide an Easter egg inside on one of the pages. Ryan and Beth added a strategic element to help my clients invisibility on their most revenue-generating product lines

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

Nothing at all

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the project manager at a user experience design shop based in Columbia, SC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were implementing a new property search tool to the website of one of our clients in the real estate industry. Our goal was to help our client become an industry leader in the promotion of a new property category.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oyova and what were the deciding factors?

Oyova was referred to our team by a trusted network partner.

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

After initial discovery and familiarization of existing code structures and frameworks (Sitefinity, .NET, Foundation), we worked collaboratively with Oyova to deploy a new property search platform with custom filters and dynamic data pulled from externally-hosted databases. This required regression testing and updates across several pre-existing page timeplates.

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

A project manager handled the business aspects (capacity planning, scheduling, invoicing, etc.) while a .NET developer conducted development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched today, so specific metrics are not yet available; however, we launched a great product on time and under budget, which is an excellent deliverable for any client team.

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

The Oyova team is very responsive (we always received day-of responses) and flexible in terms of communication style. We conducted screenshare meetings if/as needed, but typically communicated status via email.

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

Oyova integrates seamlessly with our team. Great products and services are the ones that are reliable and non-disruptive - Oyova simply does exactly what is needed, without requiring significant time and/or hand-holding. They are professional and trusted partners.

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

Oyova provided the exact level and quality of support that our team needed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an administrator for a company that builds custom pools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oyova?

We wanted to streamline our approach to marketing, which several people in our organization managed. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We originally brought Oyova on board to redesign our website. Their team then essentially changed our brand to better fit us. Our image was dated, and Oyova helped to modernize it.

Their team now handles our marketing across the board. They created print materials and designed our vehicle wraps. They also redesigned elements in our showrooms.

Their team helps with our social media profiles, so Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They’re involved in any of our campaigns and promotions. We provide them with images and then they create the posts.

What is the team composition?

We regularly work with four people from Oyova. However, we’ve had 5–6 people involved in total.

How did you come to work with Oyova?

A person from our organization referred us to them. We interviewed a few different marketing companies but Oyova understood our goals for our image. Our company’s owner connected with Jon (President & Chief Revenue Officer) and Brandon (Senior Account Manager). They were able to come up with concepts and visuals that fit us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around January 2020, and we’re still working with them.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recently implemented a log to track sales but also use different tracking systems for our leads. Oyova provided us with opportunities through which we received awards. We grew because of the resources that their team provided for us.

Everyone on the Oyova team works hard for us. They have other clients, but when they’re working with us, it feels like we’re their only one. Their team’s extremely productive.

How did Oyova perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack with them, and they’re basically available on demand. If we have a question, we slack them, and then they quickly answer us. Our team gives them feedback, and they’re flexible. If something doesn’t work for us, they’re quick to make changes. Their team's also extremely assertive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their input and creativity most impress us. They molded ideas to our industry to help us stand out. Their team sees our vision and comes up with new, creative ideas to get our name out there. They’re always looking for opportunities, which is special.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the opportunity to understand your brand as best as possible to provide you with the best experience and results. If you’re open and honest, they’ll provide good results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the museum director of a nonprofit responsible for preserving and interpreting a local lighthouse.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oyova?

We had an outdated, non-flexible website that was very difficult to maintain. We needed something that could be much more dynamic, easily maintained, modern-looking, and interactive with the public.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oyova modified our content and changed some web pages according to what we wanted to do so that the website aligns more closely with our customer base.

They provided several features that we’d never had before, including calendaring and some members-only and volunteers-only webpages, where we can communicate directly with specific people.

What is the team composition?

We had one developer who did almost all of the work. He had a supervisor who helped the developer along where he needed it, answered questions, and served as our interface. There was also a project manager who moved things along.

How did you come to work with Oyova?

We did a search in the local area for website companies. We found one that looked like it might be okay. However, someone on our board of directors was in the middle of doing an update on his business’s website with Oyova, so he introduced us.

How much have you invested with them?

The organization spent $3,800.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project kickoff was April 2020, and the website went live on September 11, 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, the website has a great look and feel. The site has allowed us to be much more engaged with our members and volunteers. Everybody loves it; it’s been very well-received. The site has enabled public visitors to understand more about the lighthouse and to ultimately get them to come out and visit.

How did Oyova perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email and phone calls. We did Zoom meetings periodically.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were all just really nice people, and they were very engaged. The project manager was a very good people-person and on top of things. The technical lead was very knowledgeable; he knew everything. The developer was a junior person who struggled from time to time, but we got through it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was supposed to be a five-week project that ended up being five months. It wasn’t great from that perspective, but I was okay with it because they gave us extra features and didn’t charge additional fees. The tradeoff was good, especially as a nonprofit. They gave us a very good deal. They said that they would’ve normally charged $10,000 for the website, but they stuck to $3,800. I thought that was very good of them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Stay on top of their progress and make sure that they have everything they need from you. I think we did that, but they do a lot of different things simultaneously, so you just need to be proactive in making sure they’re making progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of marketing. We’re an eyecare company that sells two products: a device that measures misalignment within eyes and a lens that corrects alignment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oyova?

We needed to rebrand, rebuild, and simplify our current website. Our CRM also had to be integrated with our website to capture leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We spent about two months sizing the project and negotiating a proposal. Then, we moved into different phases including articulating the look and feel (based on our vision). They totally delivered on our design perspective thanks to the inspirational sites we shared with them. It didn’t work out, since our product isn’t as sexy as the examples we used but we returned to the drawing board to work on wireframes and design and UI.

This different path had us doing weekly calls with them to refine the UI. It also included meetings where they walked us through how to manage the site and the deliverables. They were open to making revisions as well.

In terms of platforms, they used WordPress, Hubspot, Google Analytics, and more. They also worked with various one-off plugins.

What is the team composition?

Beth (Account Manager) and Ryan (Senior Implementation Engineer) are great.

How did you come to work with Oyova?

We were connected with them through the marketing agency we work with, who works with them closely. Our CMO has worked with Oyova in the past as well at other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000-$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February until June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered on everything proposed, completely meeting our expectations. We’d love to work with them on other projects moving forward. They’re our go-to when it comes to anything web-based. Our last site was very clunky and since we migrated to Ovoya’s site we’ve received nothing but great feedback. People comment on the simple and intuitive navigations and user journey. On top of that, it’s much clearer to us how exactly we’re generating leads. We also went through a rebranding and everything fell into place with that as well.

How did Oyova perform from a project management standpoint?

Even post-project, everyone is on it. We’ve had them work on two smaller sites as well and they’re always responsive, replying immediately. In one-to-one meetings, they’re as honest as possible.

They always came to the table with their deliverables. Scope always changes no matter how much you had it in writing and Oyova was great at accommodating us. They handled expectations very well and were clear about moving in and out of the proposal’s scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great, honest people. It’s probably the reason they’re so successful. I’m very confident in their work and ability to exceed expectations.

Their transparency and ability to react/respond immediately sets them apart. They’re also empathetic; you have to lead off with that, especially in this day and age. They were a good fit vision-wise, as well as experts in our HubSpot CRM. They didn’t have to bring in anyone outside.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone wants everything cheaper but I wouldn’t even change their price. I wouldn’t do anything better if I could revisit it either. Everything from their end was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them with flying colors! Outside of that, be clear about your expectations. That doesn’t fall on Oyova’s plate. Think about what you want really well before you put it on the table for them to execute. At some points, we leaned on their expertise and suggestions. They can guide you if you ask but know what you want initially. It’s the same for any project with any vendor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the national sales manager for an Epson solutions provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oyova?

We were interested in improving our brand awareness and position in the marketplace. We felt a couple of areas that were lacking were our website, SEO, email marketing efforts, and Google AdWords. We had a very fragmented approach that wasn’t generating positive results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they rebuilt our Magento website from scratch. Then, they made sure it was designed and optimized for SEO and Google Ads. Next, they updated our Sharpspring CRM tool. After, they set up Google Analytics we could go over together.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we started the relationship with Jon (President & Chief Revenue Officer, Oyova). Then we transitioned to working with Brandon (Senior Account Manager), and Angela (Director of Marketing Services). There are also 10-12 members of their team that we’ll engage with from time to time.

How did you come to work with Oyova?

We did a lot of research since we’ve been disappointed by vendors in the past. We had a 12-month, three-phase process, and we narrowed our pool down to 12 companies. We had phone interviews with all 12 and eliminated six. Then, we did sampling and web conference calls to really understand what they offer. From there, we narrowed it down to our top 3 picks, and Oyova was one of those. We drove down, demanded references, went and visited each one at their corporate facility, and wanted to meet their staff. Finally, we landed on Oyova.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018, and our work is ongoing with continuing development on our marketing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website traffic has dramatically increased, and as a result, our conversion rates and gross revenue have increased, too. We’re actually up in sales during the pandemic, and we 100% believe Oyova is the reason we’re up in a really struggling economy. Everything gets consistently better with them, which we love. They truly deliver what they promise.

How did Oyova perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredible. I have a dashboard can see every communication between their employees, so I know everything they’re doing at all times. Most of the time, they’re waiting on us for the content they need to execute. It’s rare that we’ll be waiting on them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver more than what they say. The team's process is highly sophisticated, which elevates our company. They’re not just giving us results; they’ve made us better as a company. The work is complicated but the delivery mechanism is always simple.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe an annual or semi-annual call with all of their behind-the-scene personnel would be helpful. I’m constantly talking to Angela and Brandon, but it would strategize the team that we don’t normally speak with and strategize about how to sustain our success going forward.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You don’t know what you don’t know. I know that’s said a lot, but there’s so much that we didn’t know. Our focus is on the goods and services we provide to the customer. The tools that we use to carry that message change.

My advice is to be clear about what you want, but be open-minded to listen to what you need. That’s where Oyova helped us. I don’t know if our company would’ve survived in the state of 2020, had it not been for Oyova. The work that they did for us last year saved our company this year. If you don’t give a call to Oyova, you’re crazy. Let them help you win.