Academ Web Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a marketing officer for a digital health startup. With our digital health platform, we offer solutions for various players in the healthcare sector to digitize and thus optimize healthcare.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

The challenge of the project was to create a new home page that introduces our platform in general. In addition, our existing website structure was to be moved from Webflow to Wordpress.

SOLUTION

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

We had advertised the project on Upwork and shortlisted 3 agencies. After making phone calls to all of them, we finally decided to go with Academweb as they left a very professional and experienced impression and provided exactly the resources we needed for the project.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we defined the scope of the project and the steps. Academweb then started to design the first drafts in Figma. After implementing our correction requests, the results were transferred to Wordpress, then all technical features were implemented and the website was also optimized for mobile.

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

A project manager was our main contact person and coordinated the project. In the background, a designer and a web developer worked on the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website now looks much more modern. By moving to Wordpress we are now able to manage and customize a lot ourselves.

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

We had regular exchanges with the project manager. When necessary, the developers were also integrated. The timelines for implementation were communicated to us transparently and were largely adhered to.

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

The agency offered high-quality services at a reasonable price. What we liked very much was the great flexibility - we were not bound to concrete correction cycles, but could bring in our change requests to the design and technical implementation at any time.

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

In some cases, change requests were not implemented directly, but this may also be due to the fact that we had a large number of changes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Managed Services Provider (MSP) in Switzerland for clients up to 500 users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

Our website was old, chunky and not performant at all. We needed a new Wordpress website by keeping the old content and old custom modules functional. Our needs were focused on : a simpler yet beautiful design, dramatically increase speed, clean up old plugins/custom code. We also needed our PageSpeed Insight scores to get up from 20-35%.

SOLUTION

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

Academ Web found our job posting on Upwork. They came up with a really good analysis of our needs and offered a good implementation plan. The meeting before signing went smoothly, very direct and to the essential point. Finally, their portfolio was very convincing.

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

- Kickoff meeting with our needs - Academ Web provided analysis and a first cost projection - They provided with mockups of the different pages and sections - They created a Wordpress dev environment and implemented the validated changes -

They performed all the difficult tasks that we asked them, such as reworking the images format, caching, minifying and defering content, updating "difficult" plugins, and advising us correctly if we were going to the wrong direction - The production push went smoothly

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

We had a main project manager and various contacts depending on the task (ex. design manager, backend manager). This was best for us as we also are IT professionals and can directly talk technical points with the right people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our performances increased from 30-35% to 80-90% according to PageSpeed insights. Our trafic improved by 30-40% (we also have a SEO tactic but our website was more visible just because of our performance score and a better accessibility) The website is functional, quite fast and our customers enjoy browsing it way more than before.

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

We sort of worked in sprints. Since a lot of tasks were depending by our approval or our input, we didn't go with hard deadlines. We set an "ideal production deadline" around EOY 2021 and it was respected. Now we are working on a on-demand basis

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

They are a really human company and are very friendly to work with. Since we are based in Switzerland and they're in Ukraine, more than once we had a nice chat about our cultures which is always nice considering that we worked now for almost two years with them.

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

Sometimes I felt like they were afraid to tell us we were doing something stupid or that a delay might have come. Our most important need in this kind of projects is communication, let's say it was there 97%.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our licensed attorneys provide legal advice to clients locally in Brevard County, throughout Florida, and the District of Columbia. I am James White, Director of Business Development and Partnerships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

We hired Academ Web Solutions to overhaul our website using Laravel and Statmic. The goal was to build an enterprise-level site that is ready to grow when we are.

SOLUTION

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

After interviewing the vendor over skype, we conducted research on the company. They were very professional, asked the right questions, and offered solutions. After offering solutions that made sense, we decided to work with them.

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

We had a kick-off meeting with the team; we asked them to design and build a new website that was not WordPress based because we needed additional features for scalability. First, they designed the website using Figma, then built out the site on their staging server, and when we were ready, they made our site live. They used Static as the backend CMS along with Laravel.

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

We have worked with five people: the designer, a front-end and a back-end developer, their SEO team, and their project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our new website, the load speed was breakneck; our organic Google search traffic increased to 2037 users in August 2022 vs. 1239 users before our launch, our bounce rate decreased about 25%, and our average session duration went from 2:34 minutes and increased to 4:03 minutes. They delivered beyond what we expected.

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

We used Slack and email for most of our communication; they were hyper-responsive and made an effort to meet and exceed our expectations. After we launched, our team wanted to add several new features, which they delivered within 24 hours. The best part is they provided features ABOVE and BEYOND what we expected, and it all worked!

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

In our initial meeting, they asked the right questions, which no other vendor ever did; they helped us identify issues and even offered corrective action. Their work quality was the best we had ever seen, and it was executed efficiently. They are very responsive, and most importantly, you can trust their team to do it right and not cut corners.

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

They did everything right, which is why I am taking the time to write this review. This group is refreshing to work with and, without being too dramatic, restored my faith in programmers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Performance Coach for FX Bootcamp Live, a hedge fund incubator program focused on preparing traders to become Portfolio Managers who then go on to work for Blue Sky Capital. I also manage operations of FX Bootcamp Live and lead all innovation projects for the team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

Custom Wordpress application development Integration with desktop applications.

SOLUTION

How did you select Academ Web Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

I was looking for a team of competent developers and found Yulia and her team on Upwork. After the first job was completed I continued working with Yulia and her team and I won't work with anyone else for these types of projects.

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

All scope and project management is handled on Upwork with face to face meetings on Zoom. I'll write up the scope and send it through to Yulia and then we will meet to discuss any questions or concerns.

Yulia has an excellent command of the english language and is excellent at client service and project management, with solid understanding of development for all the services her company sells. We have worked on several projects together, all of them for bespoke development on a Wordpress site and some of them including integration with desktop applications.

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

I have always worked directly with Yulia Tokarchukova. Yulia is the CEO so I know that when Yulia says something can be done and will be done, it is going to get done on time, within cost and in line with the scope.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the objectives for each SOW was done exactly according to my requirement and as a result we are now able to offer our clients world class, state of the art tools to achieve their goals and meet their own objectives.

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

Professional, excellent response time, accurate, concise and honest feedback. Always on time. No nonsense whatsoever. Always meets the deadline. World class support and project management. I will not work with any other company ever again.

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

Their incredible work ethic, their world class service, their expert knowledge on the services they sell, their absolute professionalism. The quality of their work.

They always find a solution and they never, ever lie or make empty promises. I have worked with a lot of development companies over the past 14 years on projects ranging from web dev to mobile banking and Academ is THE best by miles.

If I was working with them on previous projects I would have saved a significant amount of money and time and the job would have been done right first time around.

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

I cannot give them any negative feedback at all. I do not give companies reviews unless they are top notch, why waste your time giving a review if the company is anything but 10/10. Academ is 10/10!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company produces industry reports as well as a range of other content, including articles, interviews, facts and figures, profiles, webinars and more. I am head of content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions?

We hired Academ Web Solutions to provide ongoing development and maintenance for our website

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to develop a number of new pages and functionalities as well as ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the site

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through a selection process we undertook using Upwork to find a vendor with the right price/experience/quality ratio for our needs

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Ongoing website maintenance (updates, bug fixes etc) Development of new sections and pages

What was the team composition?

I communicate with Yulia who feeds back to her team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We have been able to make significant cost savings with Academ compared to our previous team, and work has almost always been carried out on schedule and to a very high standard. This allows us to move forward with our various ongoing projects more quickly and not get stuck on anything.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was organised through Trello as well as additional communication via Whatsapp. Communication has been prompt and efficient and the Trello chart allows me to track projects' progress well and easily feed back to management.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I value their attention to detail and respect for deadlines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head Of Marketing & Social Media

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

Improving our website

SOLUTION

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

We choose Academ Web Dev for their great reviews and adequate cost.

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

Improving the wordpress website.

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

We worked together with Yulia, the project manager, and it was always great communicating with her.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design improved a lot, and our readers were delighted.

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

We communicated primarely via email and google chat. Always available to help!

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

Yulia and her team understood our needs and delivered the best service possible.

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

All good!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an edtech software services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions?

We have a product with a dashboard for a range of uses that had grown beyond its original purpose and looked dated and cluttered. We wanted to fix it up.

SOLUTION

How did you select Academ Web Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

We looked at a few other vendors. We had already met the Akadem team when interviewing for another project and they immediately understood our needs and were enthusiastic to help. That they had a team with different roles and were experienced in Vue JS were important.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We needed a design spec and then a few meetings to discuss the implementation. We chose to let them do the implementation and the design, with a view to asking them to continue work on our platform in future.

How many resources from the Academ Web Solutions team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with 3 people. The project manager, designer and developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The dashboard looks great and works terrific.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was easy to communicate, even in English. We had a few zooms and mails and slacks.

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

The team's cohesive way of participating in the project development has been impressive.

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

It was ll good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hi, We have a hosting and website development company, and we have used their services to help with wordpress support ticket. Highly recommend them!!!

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions?

We hired them to help support certain clients that were running wordpress websites.

SOLUTION

How did you select Academ Web Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

We found them highly rated and decided to use their services

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

The have edited/updated and built wordpress sites for our clients.

How many resources from the Academ Web Solutions team worked with you, and what were their positions?

THE CEO worked directly with us to efficiently handle wordpress support tickets and dev projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to quickly fix issues and corresponded efficiently.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was great, we communicated on slack.

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

The team is a great correspondence and quick to fix issues.

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

Not sure about this question, they worked great with the assigned projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Marketing for a data backup and disaster recovery company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Academ Web Solutions, and what were your goals?

Moving an existing website from Hubspot to WordPress.

SOLUTION

How did you select Academ Web Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

We contacted 3 firms and Academ was the most helpful, they also had a good score on Upwork.

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

They copied an existing site that was on Hubspot and transferred it to our new webserver, installing Wordpress and Elementor in the process and connecting the site with our CRM.

How many people from the Academ Web Solutions team worked with you, and what were their positions?

One person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Academ were extremely helpful in the process and clearly explained some of the technical issues we encountered. They were prompt to answer our queries. They delivered with the agreed timescale.

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

Clear communication and actioned on time.

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

The speed of their response and quick action is impressive.

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

None.