Standard Beagle Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital director for IT and online development at a radio station in Austin, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Standard Beagle Studio?

We hired Standard Beagle Studio to design and develop a website for our podcasts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Standard Beagle Studio built a website from scratch for us. The website is promotional and allows us to publish our podcasts to aggregators, like Apple and Google.

To start the project, we fleshed out a specification document. We went through the design and then a development phase. In the end, we did a QC phase to make sure things worked the way we wanted them to.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with around four people from Standard Beagle Studio. 

How did you come to work with Standard Beagle Studio?

Being part of a Texan university, we had to write a specification document and put the project out to bid. We got multiple bids from different development agencies, who we interviewed. Standard Beagle Studio’s cost and past experience played a factor in our decision. Also, their being a woman-owned business weighed heavily into the decision-making process.

We looked at their work product, and it was along the lines of what we were interested in. Also, they were very friendly people. It was a close decision, but everything lined up, and we ended up choosing them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2019–February 2021. The project is done. However, we changed the way we want to do something internally, so I’ll go back to them to make specific adjustments to the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Standard Beagle Studios’ work led to positive results. Before we finalized the website, there were a couple of bugs, but we worked through them. Once we cinched everything up, it was bug-free. Since February, everything has been fine.

How did Standard Beagle Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was very good. We worked through the project remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it took longer than we originally expected. It didn’t cost us more money — just time. However, I would not blame them for that because we all had our issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Standard Beagle Studio was a solid group of people to work with. The fact that they are a female-owned business distinguishes them from other web development houses.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If the two primary developers I worked with had a better collaboration process between themselves, it would have benefited us. Due to the pandemic, one of them got sick. Therefore, there was a bit of tag-teaming — somebody would just jump in and try to finish another person’s work, which is really hard to do in software development. Because of that, they had to do multiple adjustments. Standard Beagle Studio’s internal communication on the development side could’ve made a difference.

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a very defined specification document and work it out internally in your own business before you engage with them. On the design aspect of the site, we had too many people with too much input; Standard Beagle Studio was happy to accommodate all of the requests, which ended up costing us more money. 

Being a little more buttoned-up regarding what your needs are will help you work better with them. Standard Beagle Studio is full of great ideas, but it’s easy to get sidetracked.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and sales at the Dallas Opera.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Standard Beagle Studio?

The Standard Beagle Studio team is the architect and designer of our current website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Standard Beagle Studio had built our website from scratch back in 2018, before I joined the organization. Then, we signed a contract agreement with them before COVID-19 started to assist us on a regular basis with the ongoing design, development, and maintenance of the website. Up until that point, we had an internal resource that managed our website, but that position has been vacant for a year. We've been working with Standard Beagle Studio in the last 12 months on all the design and development for the website.   

Before, we used to sell tickets for live events, but because of COVID-19, we had to transition to producing digital community and educational events. The way in which we promote a digital event and the purchase of access to view it on an external video hosting site is completely different. Therefore. Standard Beagle Studio has helped us update our website and redesign some of that navigation, both in UX and in backend development over the course of a year. 

What is the team composition?

It varies depending on our needs. Over the last year, we’ve been in touch with four people directly. There are times when we have a specific development need that requires additional resources. However, we typically work with 2–3 people and they delegate accordingly to other members of their team.   

How did you come to work with Standard Beagle Studio?

They’re based in Austin and have a bit of a reputation there. They’ve done websites for other performing arts organizations. Therefore, they had the experience and came on good referral to us that way. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent between $30,000–$40,000 in the last year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Standard Beagle Studios started working with our organization in January 2018 approximately. I’ve only worked with them for a year since I joined the organization in early 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The metrics are different every year. At the moment, we’re not selling any tickets. However, we consider Standard Beagle Studio as an extension of our marketing department. They’re our colleagues — someone who’s available 24/7. They’re a small company, but they’re very responsive and available whenever something comes up. They’re very terrific to work with.

How did Standard Beagle Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with them every single week. We use Slack when we need to get a hold of them immediately. They use Trello for their own internal project management, but we have access to our own Trello board at their company so we can see where they’re at with projects at any time. Moreover, if something changes during the course of the week and I need to speed something up, I just go to Trello and do that without even sending a message.     

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the reasons we like working with them is that they built our website, so they’re incredibly knowledgeable about the way the architecture is set up and how it works. If we had gone to someone else to help us adapt our website to COVID-19, it would’ve taken a lot of time and money.

It's nice having the original source and having them make all the adjustments that we need quickly, efficiently, and affordably. It's a mutually beneficial relationship because if a design that they created is broken, they’re able to fix it very quickly and anticipate what other sections might need attention as a result of that.   

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything to improve. Because Standard Beagle Studio is a small firm, we understand that sometimes they’re at capacity with the number of clients that they have. However, they’ve been there for us and never left us hanging any time we’ve had an emergency.

Any advice for potential customers?

I advise anybody working with an external service provider that they build time on the frontend to create a project roadmap. Building in an appropriate and reasonable timeline for each of the phases is also important because it’s just not possible to go to the vendor and ask for immediate results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Web Maintenance of The City of San Saba

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

It is the municipality for the City of San Saba.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Standard Beagle Studio to accomplish?

• Re-Design our Website

SOLUTION

How did you find Standard Beagle Studio?

Referral

Why did you select Standard Beagle Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Standard Beagle Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work included:

• Entire re-design of the website
• Updated backend
• Training
• Follow Up
• Hosting & Maintenance
• Quarterly Check-ins

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measurable Outcomes included:

Overview of Project & Goals

Timelines

Wire Frames & Mock Ups

Developmental Site

Training

Continued Support

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

Project management was outstanding. Needs were responded to in a timely, if not immediate manner through:

Clear & Concise Timelines

Email Responses

Weekly Zoom meetings

Training

What was your primary form of communication with Standard Beagle Studio?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What I found impressive was the overall professional yet personable manner of the company team. All are exceptionally knowledgeable yet "down to "earth" and approachable which is important to someone, like myself, who is not familiar with website design and its technical vocabulary.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Standard Beagle Studio could have done differently?

Nothing at all. I applaud the whole team and wish them continued success.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Research & Planning Consultants, LP

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

RPC is an health economics consulting firm that focuses on studies for litigation and administrative proceedings

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Standard Beagle Studio to accomplish?

• automate review and repricing of medical bills

SOLUTION

How did you find Standard Beagle Studio?

Online Search

Why did you select Standard Beagle Studio over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Standard Beagle Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Deliverable was software to review medical bills and reprice to Medicare payment rates and coding rules

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivery of software that correctly performs medical bill review

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

Timeline for project changed due to scope changes. Standard Beagle stuck with the project and saw it to successful completion.

What was your primary form of communication with Standard Beagle Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their persistence and integrity to complete the project for the fixed price were commendable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Standard Beagle Studio could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Texas Archive of the Moving Image

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Incorporated in 2003, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to discover, preserve, provide access to, and educate the community about Texas’ film heritage. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Standard Beagle Studio to accomplish?

• Usability Study on Website

SOLUTION

How did you find Standard Beagle Studio?

Online Search

Why did you select Standard Beagle Studio over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• works with orgs in our sector

How many teammates from Standard Beagle Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We tasked Standard Beagle with reviewing our website analytics, designing and implementing a usability study, and providing an end analysis including suggestions for web development and design as well as data standardization.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received two decks with pre and post-study analysis including detailed suggestions on how to improve our website.

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

They project was on time .

What was your primary form of communication with Standard Beagle Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They did a great job and provided a great value for their services.  Great team!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Standard Beagle Studio could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an immigration law firm. I am the managing attorney.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Standard Beagle Studio, and what were your goals?

Our existing website, needed some re-vamping.

SOLUTION

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

We have been working with Standard Beagle Studio for about 8 years, so deciding to use them was a no-brainer.

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

Re-vamp the look and feel for an existing website.

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

About 3 people. Account manager, CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website!

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines

Email, Zoom.

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

Professional.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the President of Morehands

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Standard Beagle Studio?

We hired Standard Beagle to help us with market research for a new division of our company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed a couple of research firms and decided on Standard Beagle as the best fit.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Standard Beagle helped us with qualitative and quantitative research. In addition, they conducted a number of interviews of current and prospective clients

What was the team composition?

I worked with the owner and our project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Standard Beagle was able to help us clarify our thinking about how to structure our new division.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are extremely professional and a pleasure to work with.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Nope