WP Expert

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of the Sponsorship Collective. We’re a consulting agency that focuses on sponsorship, marketing, consulting, and valuations. We mainly operate in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WP Expert?

Ultimately, I needed someone who could help me cut through the complexities of my business, and bring them all under one umbrella. We needed to build websites, including one for our conferences. And since we already have a significant organic presence online, we also want to avoid damaging our established SEO and organic traffic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team is mainly focused on building the websites from scratch. Additionally, they implemented learning management systems, and then run a conference registration.

We basically put them through the wringer. The websites they built contains the whole customer journey from start to finish. We have online courses, premium coaching programs, and we also produce free content like our blogs. They developed and tested all the sites on WordPress.

Right now, they're currently providing us with ongoing tech support.

What is the team composition?

Over the years, I’ve probably worked with about 1-5 people from WP Expert.

How did you come to work with WP Expert?

They were originally a referral from a colleague six years ago. She is more discerning than I am, and if she said that they’re good, then that means that they’re super good.

After two minutes of talking to Fred (Founder & CEO), it was an easy decision to make the shift. He’s a laid-back guy and he has rescued me many times from myself over the years. It’s why I don’t go anywhere and stayed with him.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $15,000 on monthly retainers. Add the five websites they’ve built for us so in total, I would say we’ve invested north of $30,000. And now that I know how much money I’ve spent, he owes me a beer next time I see him.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in January 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re a seven-figure agency that runs digitally. In the absence of their work, we would not have a business. Someone else would’ve made the sites but we probably would not have been so happy with the results.

I’m just thinking about how much time and billables I’m saving — his efficiency alone easily saves me thousands of dollars in bills every year. A 5-minute Loom video explaining what I want is enough for him to launch a new website. It’s just really easy to work with Fred.

Then I think about the work we’ve done together so far and how we are able to get 35,000 page views a month, on an organic website we created. He also managed to save me $350,000 for the conference website.

How did WP Expert perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m sure they use a specific project management software but our main access point is through a ticketing system. We access this system by emailing a special email address.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with a couple of other service providers and one thing that really bothered me, as it probably does many other small business owners, is that your emergencies do not become their emergencies. Fred and WP Expert have an unheard level of service. 

I’ve asked them to get a testimonial page up and running because my sales team needed to close a deal — Fred dropped everything and did that because he knew how important it was to me. I can’t say that no one else does this, but I won’t be going anywhere based on that level of understanding of my business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. It’s like the lazy man’s answer, but it’s true.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve referred them to quite a few people and my advice is always to think of your website as a living and breathing entity. Don’t think of it as just a thing you make, and just sort of exist until you need a new one. Approach WP Expert with this in mind. If you’re only looking for a digital pamphlet, go somewhere else. However, if you’re looking for someone to actually dig into your business, then prepare yourself.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of communications at Maytree, a charitable foundation in Toronto. Our focus is on finding solutions to poverty taking a human rights approach

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I’ve worked with Fred on three web projects now – and for all three I’ve been very happy with the outcomes. In particular, his work on the new Maytree website has been exceptional. We had a rather small budget with very high expectations.

SOLUTION

How did you select WP Expert and what were the deciding factors?

WP Expert came recommended from a colleague in another foundation. We interviewed a few web designers / producers and found him to be the most approachable. He seemed to get what we were looking for - and could do it in a reasonable time and budget.

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

Fred first worked with us through the project description and highlighted what can and what can’t be done – and explored some alternatives to ensure we could get the best site for the budget that we had.

When we started the development process, we had a clear understanding of what we were going to accomplish. The process was truly collaborative – and he kept us informed at all times. For once, we managed to finish a technology project on time and on budget.

The work was done in WordPress - and he suggested any plug-ins that we needed (and the theme).

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

For the initial project, we only worked with Fred. Since then, we've worked with other designers on his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a super well-functioning and scalable website. We're still using it today - and WP Expert continues to be an important partner.

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

We had our own project management tool - basecamp. WP Expert was part of this tool.

Otherwise we used mostly email (my preference) and quick phone/video calls.

Fred also created short training videos so we understood how to use the new site's backend.

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

I've hardly ever worked with a vendor who's more responsive. No request has been ignored. And, so far, he's always been able to find a solution.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a start up and the loves our vision and is helping is achieve it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WP Expert?

Market ourselves properly with the right tools

What were your goals for this project?

Have a website with capabilities of doing e-commerce.

SOLUTION

How did you select WP Expert?

On their really good reputation

Describe the project in detail.

Build from the ground up our new website.

What was the team composition?

Start up with a small team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clients are excited to see what's being release the whole smooth process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is amazing and smooth-sailing.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How efficient they are.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I can think of.