Unleashed Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of innovation for the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA), a nonprofit that serves as the essential strategic partner for Virginia CPAs. Our mission is to empower our members to thrive by driving innovation and vision, creating a culture of learning, influencing students to become CPAs, and advocating members' interests. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We needed a partner to rebuild our website and improve our e-commerce strategies to ensure we had the tools to drive revenue, learning, membership, fundraising, and various other key organizational metrics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unleashed Technologies was our exclusive web dev partner. They managed everything from our exploratory discussions to strategy development to the implementation of the actual site. They took us through a discovery process to determine what we wanted on our website and for them to understand how our processes and automations interacted with our member database and other tools. We provided them with our brand guidelines, and they used that to create the design and wireframes. They then took the Drupal site all the way to launch.

What is the team composition? 

I interacted with the CEO, a client services manager, and a project manager. My team interacted with about five of them.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

We met them at an annual conference that involved nonprofit associations. When we sent out an RFP for our project, they were on our shortlist because they had a strong reputation and good recommendations. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August 2016–October 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just recently launched, so we’re still digging into the metrics. However, we sent out a communications survey to our members and got highly favorable and positive reviews. Our staff is also happy with their work, particularly our technology director. Unleashed Technologies was a great partner.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They had terrific project management skills, always communicating and letting us know if there was a delay. They had biweekly meetings and used a plethora of project management tools to track the project. We also communicated via phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent strategists and know how to come up with creative solutions that meet our ultimate goals. We’d been with our previous web developer for 15 years, and this partnership was much more dynamic and forward-thinking.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a few unexpected costs and road bumps, but that might've been resolved with better planning on our part. With a website overhaul of this magnitude, there will always be unanticipated complications as you dig deep into the backend architecture.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior digital communications officer at a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

Our in-house web developer left the organization, so we needed help managing and maintaining our Drupal website, as well as some assistance on some larger projects. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unleashed helped launch a Drupal microsite, and their team provides daily overall maintenance of our main Drupal site, fixing bugs and widgets as needed. They've also provided graphic design work for one of our reports, using our style guide and the data we presented.

What is the team composition? 

We work with about five people on their team, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

Unleashed was involved in a previous RFP process for a different project, so we reached out for a quote from them when the need for their services came up.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $100,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the products Unleashed has helped us launch. Overall, their level of communication has also been very good.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Both of the project managers we've interfaced have been great. We touch base with their team biweekly and chat through Slack and Teamwork as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their backend technical expertise is solid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their accuracy when it comes to establishing projects estimates, as well as their ticket management process to ensure the client has enough information to collaborate as expected. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask lots of questions and establish different sets of goals, depending on whether their work will be on a project by project basis or include ongoing maintenance. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital services at a public media organization. I’m in charge of the website, content maintenance, and digital communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We used an ad delivery system (DFP for Small Business) to ensure that underwriting ads were delivered properly to our website. However, an enterprise media company acquired the platform and made significant changes that caught us unawares. The company deprecated a particular ad tag that we used through the DFP for our Drupal site. As a result, our ads stopped getting delivered. Not only was the module out of date, but the company provided incomplete documentation for Drupal sites. Since our open-source software required a DIY solution, we attempted a fix in-house. However, the site development crashed three times. We decided to hire Unleashed Technologies at that point.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave the team access to our website and DFP. Unleashed Technologies reviewed the directions and implemented a resolution process. I then tested the site to ensure that our development server worked properly without crashing.

What is the team composition?               

The three-person team included resources for marketing, technical components, and advertising.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

I did an online search for an expert partner. After considering two other agencies, I submitted an online form on Unleashed Technologies’ site. They responded within two hours. We had a meeting the next day, during which I shared my screen and explained the challenge. I then handed the problem over to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was a three-day engagement in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unleashed Technologies implemented a simple solution that enabled us to replicate the process going forward as we transition from Drupal to WordPress. Without their help, I would’ve had to schedule posting and arrange artwork for 87 ad units manually. We could not have kept that pace and provide click-through reports to clients without Unleashed Technologies’ help. We would have lost income and team efficiency. I’m now well on my way to being up to speed again with automatic deliveries.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We had one meeting and several email exchanges. They were amenable and answered every question I asked. I’m sure the team would have been as responsive if the project had been longer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They moved quickly and provided immediate responses. The team documented the process and instructions using clear and easy-to-follow language. I could understand the workflow and move forward after the engagement ended.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I couldn’t find any fault with them. The engagement was short and cost-effective. The pricing was reasonable and comparable with other organizations that do similar technical work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants as the technology director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We were dissatisfied with everything about our website and our previous vendor. We wanted to find a vendor who could improve customer service, change the technology stack, and boost the timeline for implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did everything for us. am.net is a heavily used association management system (AMS) within the CPA society marketplace. They hadn’t worked with it before, but were willing to learn and integrate with it. They worked with our AMS vendor on our API to build it out and test it. Their discovery process was very thorough, and they uncovered everything they needed to integrate our online education vendors and am.net connections into a new Drupal site. They also provided design templates and wireframes and were integral to a complex website development process.

We hadn’t used Drupal prior to working with Unleashed Technologies, but liked the way Drupal 8 works. Unleashed Technologies leveraged community modules for a lot of the processes that used to be made up of custom code within an open source environment. As we continue this relationship, we may need custom applications, but the current site is built in Drupal 8 and Drupal Commerce 2. Between those two platforms, they built everything we needed, including a complicated membership application system. We offer different prices and categories, based on specific data we collect from applicants. They developed entity relationship diagrams and information architecture necessary to that process. Through the testing process, we discovered what needed to be fixed. Even though the system was very complex, they corrected everything right away. They were refreshing to work with.

What is the team composition?

From start to finish, we’ve worked with a team of six or seven. That includes accounting specialists, a project manager, senior solutions architect, designers, and front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

Several members of our staff belong to organizations that have annual conferences. I went to the exhibitor site for one of those conferences and found them listed there. I read through their short profile, looked at their site, and sent an RFP to our vice president of innovation to forward on to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed a contract with them in March 2017, with an original target launch date in August 2018. Due to some new integrations with other vendors, we made some changes to the scope and set the launch date to October 2018.

Unleashed Technologies is still highly involved in the process. I check in with them on the current task list and have regular conversations with my project manager to manage expectations on the staff side. We’re still developing new functionality, and expect that the development phase of this collaboration will continue for at least another year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We anticipated we would have to triage a lot of calls after the change, and did a lot of preparation with our customer service team. We thought there would be an issue with passwords as we transitioned to the new site, but the only complaints we received involved a history service that we deliberately didn’t develop, because it already exists on our Board of Accountancy’s site. We added information and links to the existing list and that problem resolved itself.

Users praise the design and functionality, and we’ve received constructive criticism about some small improvements. Most of those include small typos, colors, or minor integration points. We went in understanding that the first version would be a minimum viable product that wouldn’t be completely perfect. Unleashed Technologies pinpointed all the critical points we needed to launch, and we operated with agile methodology in mind.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Hands down, they’re the best vendor I’ve ever worked with. I appreciate their planning, rigor, and transparency. We use a few platforms to manage everything, including Teamwork and GitLab. These were new platforms for me, but they did a great job explaining how they worked. They share information with us and we have a very malleable process. We needed to deploy a lot of functionality, and juggled various projects and tasks with them. We had great discussions, and they addressed all of my questions up front. I was pleased with their accessibility and responsiveness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They absorbed information about our business and the features on our legacy site to deliver the best value possible. Any vendor will say they want the best for their clients, but it’s another thing to demonstrate that desire. We spent upwards of 100 hours in the discovery phase going over every integration between our database, the functionality, email confirmations, and design elements of the site. They recorded every meeting and invested a huge amount of time and resources from the beginning.

They were committed to finding solutions, and their dedication helped mitigate any misunderstandings we had. Our previous vendor was nowhere near as pleasant to work with. Unleashed Technologies pays attention to every detail, responds quickly, and is highly professional at all times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We ran into a bit of a snag in the information architecture phase. Most of that was due to a change in personnel after the discovery phase. Any confusion or continuity issues would have been eliminated if our main project manager was present at our discovery meetings. I understand the logic behind not including them until later, as the discovery phase took up a lot of time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m very pleased with their involvement, and I look forward to years of collaboration with them. Our market is shifting and consolidating, which comes with a lot of anxiety. Unleashed Technologies is positioned as a vendor who has done a complete integration with our particular AMS, which gives them a competitive advantage. Other states should take advantage of their knowledge and experience to help in situations similar to ours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at an event signage company. We supply graphics and materials to the meeting and planning industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

Our previous developer didn’t produce our e-commerce site in the organized way we envisioned. We needed a partner to help make adjustments and launch it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unleashed Technologies helped finish the website and make all the changes we wanted before going live. They built the site on Magento and are now in the process of moving us to a Magento 2 platform. Their developers updated our plug-ins and strengthened the site’s security. They also integrated the platform with HubSpot.

On the site itself, they added additional features for our clients. One new tool is a total ownership calculator, which serves as a means of comparison between the user’s sign’s current cost and our offer.

What is the team composition?

They provide a project manager and around seven teammates.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

A previous partner began working with the Unleashed Technologies team. I trusted their expertise and knew they'd be able to help my site. I also read reviews of the company on Clutch and felt they were the right fit.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around $40,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working in March 2018 and the engagement is ongoing. A website is never done evolving, so we’re continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site has experienced great traffic. Our users have given us positive feedback on the usability of the platform. Because of our HubSpot integration, we’re able to measure what our customers are looking at and what their needs are, which tremendously helps our sale staff.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Unleashed Technologies' project management skills are one of the best aspects of the collaboration; they're a vast improvement from the previous team I worked with. They give us constant feedback and we always know where the project stands. We have weekly calls and I frequently meet with them in person. They use Jira, which we find extremely useful and it keeps us consistently informed on their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a team of problem-solvers that strive to find the perfect solution. If I give them an idea, they'll challenge me to improve it and discover the best possible direction. I appreciate their keen understanding of our needs and their approach to achieving success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this point, there’s nothing they could be doing better. The whole project has been very smooth, and I hope it remains that way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re struggling to replace your current developer, reading reviews and calling references will help assure you that Unleashed Technologies is the right team to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior director of information technology for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We were in the midst of an accreditation information system with another vendor. It’s a complex software development project, and that firm couldn’t handle all its intricacy. We decided to find a new, local vendor who could rescue and complete the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The end product is a Drupal-based system that integrates with our association management system for financial processing. They built out the code to bring the software to completion, overseeing both design and development.

Their involvement began with a discovery session and a code audit to make sure they understood all the details. We gave them a detailed set of requirements, and they made a list of things the old vendor had done incorrectly or left unfinished.

What is the team composition?

I had a very close relationship with the owner. He checked in regularly, and we frequently met in person. We also worked with two account managers in succession. When we got the new manager, they were already up to speed, so that transition went smoothly. In all, we worked with a team of six, but had close connections with individuals in those two roles.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

I did a Google search for Drupal developers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and a vendor we work with recommended Unleashed Technologies. Based on their recommendation and the conversations we had with other vendors, we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total spend was around $190,000, which included the cost of discovery.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first discovery was at the end of July 2017, and they completed the project at the end of October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re just about to launch and have had a great experience. Unleashed is amazing, especially compared to our experience with our previous vendor. We have encountered a few bugs, but they’re very responsive, quick to resolve issues, and incredibly organized.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

I wasn’t thrilled with our first project manager, but he didn’t last long. At first, I was worried that a new project lead would affect the timeline, but the second manager was excellent and knew exactly where we stood in our development.

I had several conversations with the owner, both in person and over the phone. We also used email, GitLab, and Teamwork.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The owner calls me regularly to check in and is always very responsive. Whenever we have integration conference calls with our other vendors, it’s clear that Unleashed is our strongest partner. Their thoroughness is refreshing, and they’re committed to finishing the project within our budget.

When we put all our requirements together, there were a few gaps in our explanations. They filled in the blanks and made sure we got everything we needed. Unlike our experience with our previous vendor, there was no haggling over little things that didn’t fall precisely within the scope, and Unleashed made it clear how important our success was to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issues we had were with our first project manager. That was handled before we had to say anything, so the owner was clearly paying attention. I can’t think of any other areas of improvement for them; we’re very happy with their work and plan to hire them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of membership and marketing for the National Guard Association of the United States. We are an advocacy association that lobbies on behalf of the National Guard and their families. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

Our website hadn't been redesigned since 2012, so it was slightly outdated. We hoped to accomplish specific KPIs by using our website to support the rest of our business processes. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unleashed Technologies seamlessly handled the entire process of our website redesign. As they moved our site from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8, they developed the backend functionality and even hired a third-party company to execute the database integration. They provided project management. 

We went through a full-fledged design phase together. Unleashed Technologies created two wireframe options for us to choose from. We tweaked our selection based on our desired look and feel. They resolved the site's issues with responsiveness to make the new version mobile-friendly. Since about half our users access our website from their phones, this was a key improvement. 

Several integration components hadn't been working correctly on our old site. The team fixed our join and renewal process and subscription options for our newsletter and magazine. They made the event page look much cleaner and added a registration integration. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with 5-6 critical people from Unleashed Technologies including a project manager. We also have a strong relationship with one of the lead developers who works extensively on our project. 

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

We put out an RFP for our complete website redesign. Unleashed Technologies bid on the project. They had an excellent presentation that focused on KPIs, which was exactly what we were looking for. Ultimately, we selected them based on their growth package and the model they use to sustain a website. 

We didn't have a great relationship with the company that developed our first website. Since they didn’t offer a maintenance package, all their work after delivery was ad-hoc and expensive. Having a block of hours allocated for future changes and upgrades fit our current budget and made us feel more secure. We compiled a long list of accomplishments we'd like to achieve moving forward. Unleashed Technologies categorized and prioritized those goals and outlined a timeframe based on how many hours we could purchase. 

How much have you invested with them?

The RFP specified that we planned to spend about $150,000 on the initial redesign. 

What is the status of this engagement?

After wrapping up the RFP process in December, we kicked off the project in January 2018. We officially launched the new website in August 2018, right in time to unveil at our annual conference. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We asked attendees of our conference to look over our site and take a survey. Since these users were navigating to our platform from their mobile devices, this was an essential form of assessment. Everyone was really pleased with the new site’s clean and streamlined organization. It clearly highlights what our users are looking for and has a better UX overall. All the information flows much more smoothly now. 

We used to have a lot of really long text on our website. Unleashed Technologies helped us transition most of our content into a concise format. They added appealing imaging to support some of our lengthier news articles and categorized them intuitively.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Unleashed Technologies was extremely responsive. Anytime our schedules conflicted, they accommodated our timelines. By including 2-3 people on our phone calls, they made we had a backup to contact anytime an issue arose. We could always confirm the right work was in progress and that we were staying within our timeframe. 

Right after Unleashed Technologies came to see the demo, my colleague and I visited their offices to talk through pros and cons. They addressed all of our concerns. Since then, we communicated over the phone, e-mail, and the Teamwork platform. Even their CEO checked in with us on a regular basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unleashed Technologies provides excellent customer service. Their employees are extremely friendly. I don't have a technical background, but they helped me understand all the processes the project involved. I appreciated their attention to detail. They recorded all of our phone calls and meetings and sent incredible follow up. 

We always knew what was happening and what we could expect. I never felt blindsided financially or with the timeline. They offered consistent transparency, which was important to me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything negative to say about them. Initially, we were slightly concerned about the team's design capabilities. One of their references had only used Unleashed Technologies as a Drupal developer and hired a different company for the design. Fortunately, we had a great experience. Their lead designer was fantastic and clearly spelled out best practice. He gave us several resources to show what comparable websites were doing and why. The team understood how much the design could influence the UX. We had a great overall experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any project, it’s critical to start off with clear expectations about what you want, your timeline, and how much money you're willing to spend. We had a stringent deadline to launch the new website during our conference. Providing transparency around that goal helped shape our project and ensure our teams were on the same page the whole time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CMO of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP. We provide a range of business law and litigation services to clients that range from innovative startups and mid-market companies to global enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Unleashed Technologies?

We needed to finalize a new website build and launch it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our IT Director provided a referral.

Describe the project in detail.

Unleashed Technologies refocused our new Drupal website, completed the design, and launched it efficiently. They included a PDF functionality for biographies, which allowed for quick and attractive printing, directly from the website. The latter wasn’t available to us previously. They’ve continued to host and maintain the site throughout the engagement.

What was the team composition?

Over the years, we have had working relationships with several project managers, engineers, the Director of Hosting and Client Services, and the CEO.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They kept everyone on both teams clearly informed with their communication platform. Across the board, their team is personable, helpful, and there is a consistent focus on solutions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

During this project, Unleashed Technologies had to contend with issues stemming from our previous vendor who went through a challenging acquisition during the design phase, but they overcame them. They’ve provided true value throughout years of continued growth. The CEO has an unwavering passion for what his company provides across numerous industries.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an educational company that partners with universities to run the operational side of their online programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We wanted to learn more about the administrative program of our partner schools. We wanted to understand the users, their journey, and the best ways to reach them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over about two months, they did research to define two standard user personas and the user journey associated with each persona. They looked at pain points in the journey and places on the site where users got stuck or faced challenges.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

I knew Chris (Director of Sales, Unleashed Technologies) through his wife, who provides content for us. I knew about the company’s reputation and decided to contact them to see if they could help us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $34,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018 and completed the project at the beginning of June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provided us with info and a site that we couldn’t find on our own. They applied their findings to other programs and gave our team a good foundation to improve all the content we’re producing. We’re still implementing the program but the results are good so far.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We spoke once every two weeks or so. Their responsiveness and correspondence with us were both good and we used their project management tool to track the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very data driven and it’s clear they understand the information. They can use the data in a productive way and apply it in real time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; our experience was really good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as transparent about your business operations as possible to give them a full understanding of your company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a military nonprofit organization that lobbies for military benefits for the family and for the service member. I am the director of digital programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unleashed Technologies?

We commissioned them for a full website usability study. It had been about a decade since our last one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked them for a report on what our site does well and what we could do to gain better use of the site and better utilize the content on the site. They examined our website using almost 10 different measures, including readability, end-user usability, trust and credibility of our content, and our SEO standings. We wanted an unbiased opinion of what our website offers. Unleashed Technologies conducted interviews with people at different levels of our organization—including the staff, the leadership, some of the members, and some prospective members. They dedicated themselves to learning our digital goals and our organizational goals.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the CEO and his team.

How did you come to work with Unleashed Technologies?

We conducted a loose RFP process to collect some options. We touched base with the firm that did our usability study about 10 years ago. Unleashed Technologies came with some impressive references, and we felt comfortable selecting them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around July 2017, and the usability study was presented to us in February 2018. We considered them for a separate project of ours, and they were in contention, but we ultimately chose a different vendor based on technical requirements and integrations we needed to consider.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They presented us with a 70-page report that clearly detailed their findings. It was an engaging read, filled with KPIs and recommendations. They were able to align the results with our terminology. They immersed themselves in our work. It was all so impressive that our executive team wants to make sure we have a connection with them for future projects or consulting work.

How did Unleashed Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked very well with us. They were always accessible via Teamwork, phone calls, or emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are professional enough to build a valuable working relationship, but they also have the social skills and the personality to build a personal relationship at the same time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had minor communication troubles at times, but they were not substantial enough to cause problems.

Any advice for potential customers?

We found it useful to have regular meetings so we got into a rhythm of communication.