Ask the Egghead, Inc.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Information Technology at Project Vital. An organization dedicated to improving the efficiency of health care-based nonprofits through technology-based platforms.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc., and what were your goals?

The development of our new online learning portal and learning management system.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

We were referred to them by one of the IT directors for the City of Washington, DC who had interacted with the Ask the Egghead team on another project.

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

Develop and design a new website; including the development of an e-commerce modeled learning management system and content delivery system.

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

We worked with 3 people from Ask the Egghead. Steven (President) was our POC and Lena was our lead developer, and Christopher was the beta tester assigned to compile the bug list.

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

After launching the new LMS we have seen a 300% increase in the number of students enrolled and a 500% increase in the number of students that who more than 85% of a learning session.

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

Steven lead us through an Agile development style where we saw the work being completed in real time via a staging site. It was incredibly efficient and allowed us to give input at every turn.

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

The efficiency at which they get the work done and their ability to communicate with me and my team in a clear and consistent manner.

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

None, I was/am incredibly happy with the entire project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of WASS Electronics and the inventor of the WASS Mitad Grill. WASS Electronics was founded by Wassie Mulugeta. Wassie has been developing and researching a better way for preparing and cooking Ethiopian Injera.

In 1999, Wassie began working on an Automated Injera cooking Machine that is able to produce 100’s of Injera per hour. This project was completed in 2011 and is scheduled.

In 2002, Wassie designed the WASS Electric Mitad which was designed, manufactured and sold in North America. This unit was discontinued due to the ineffectiveness of the Analog Temperature Controller. In 2012, Wassie had his dream of researching and developing a new generation Digital Electric Mitad come to fruition.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc., and what were your goals?

To build a complete online store and warranty processing solution.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

The location and reputation. I did not want to deal with an overseas company, I wanted a local guy I could meet with and discuss the solutions with.

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

Build a completely new website from scratch, deploy an ecommerce solution and a warranty tracking system, that provides customer with an online presence to submit defective units for warranty claims.

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

1, I worked solely with Steven May.

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

The site launched and I've experienced a 400% increase in sales due to the new site and reduced administrative costs in not having to have people take warranty claims over the phone.

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

He stayed in touch with me weekly and I always felt I could reach out to him at anytime.

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

They worked fast, making changes usually the same day or the following day.

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

I dont have any recommendations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Parmarq Auto Parts. When you buy OEM parts from Parmarq, you know that you are getting the absolute highest quality parts, manufactured by the original automobile manufacturer specifically for you automobile.  Parmarq is an authorized reseller of OEM parts.  

If you buy aftermarket parts or off-brand parts, you don't have any control over the quality or durability. But, when you go with OEM parts from Parmarq, you can be sure that the parts are designed to be best suited to your vehicle and of reliable quality, ensuring the longevity of your vehicle and maintaining the quality of your drive.  

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc., and what were your goals?

Develop and design a new site that will present luxury auto parts in an easily digestible manner that reflects the status level of the product.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

Development history and capabilities of the organization and the reputation of completing jobs on time and within budget.

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

The entire project had to be completed from scratch. Steven recommended we use WordPress with a WooCommerce shopping system and then he recommended several plugins to accomplish our goals of composite products and a multi vendor platform where we could attribute commissions to specific suppliers.

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

I worked with Steven May solely and he managed his team. He was my single point of contact and he did an amazing job.

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

The site is just about to launch with over 50,000 SKU's.

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

We had weekly Zoom meetings to discuss the project and any integral features that would need to be implemented. The project was managed in an Agile Development Process and we were able to track the development in real time on a staging site.

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

The knowledge and efficiency with which they implemented solutions to fit our needs.

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

They did an amazing job and have been there every step of the way post launch to help us with importing SKU's and product variations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Sawa Kamara and I was a candidate running for Ward 5 City Council. I am a proud resident I love my community and I have served through:

• Community Outreach and Advocacy initiatives and training,
• Partnership and Engagement with community organizations and leaders on protecting the environment and mobilizing around neighborhood preservation issues such as addressing living standards;
• and Collaboration with the County to empower our community to meet housing code standards.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

I needed to have a website built that would convey my political platform and allow me a platform to do fundraising.

What were your goals for this project?

An information based website that would promote my message in a clear consistent manner that would be promoted across all social media platforms.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

I interviewed two development companies and knew instantly that Ask the Egghead was the group I wanted to use, Steven and his team were instrumental in helping me get my message out and my fundraising started.

Describe the project in detail.

Build a website with multichannel capabilities that would disseminate my message across all platforms and enable me to do fundraising online.

What was the team composition?

Steven was my key POC, he managed his team and I only dealt with him directly.

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

I was able to raise significant funds through the site and get my message out to all social media platforms with my site being the starting point for all information.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were incredibly efficient, Steven was amazing at responding to my requests in an efficient manner. The turn around time on my changes was always less than 48 hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed and efficiency at which they get work completed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I was incredibly happy with the entire project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and owner of Arganoyl Co - Liang Zhang LLC. To deliver the finest and freshest products available, straight from the producer to you!

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc., and what were your goals?

To build an e-commerce site that doesnt sell items except twice a year. At all other times we just add potential customers to a wait list until the two periods a year when we harvest the oil and ship it to our clients.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed several design and development companies and I ultimately chose Ask the Egghead because of their portfolio or prior work and rapid communication and response to all of my questions.

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

The project was simple and straightforward, the Ask the Egghead team designed 3 conceptual websites for me to choose from, and from those I revised the design down by communicating with their team. The whole process was pretty painless.

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

2 people were on the team I worked with but all of my communications went through Steven M. the owner.

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

The concepts were all awesome the final result is exactly what I was looking for in both form and function.

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

The work in an agile development style which is amazing, they setup a staging site and I was able to follow the progress in real time.

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

The speed and turn around time as well as the amazing response time to my questions and revisions. They are amazing communicators.

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

No, they did an amazing job and I have nothing I would have changed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a lifestyle coach and this was an introductory page for my business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc., and what were your goals?

I needed a simple webpage that would introduce me to the "web." My main goals were to introduce myself and give people means to contact me.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

After struggling with MANY terrible web designers, I found the Ask the Egghead by running a google search for Washington, DC.

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

We exchanged several phone calls, zoom meeting, exchanged ideas for photos and content. Ask the Egghead was excellent in "reading me" and understanding my ideal clients.

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

Just one, Steven, the owner.

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

Not quite yet. I page has been live for only one month. At first, they gave us a fair quote and a promise date. In the end, they delivered everything they promised. The firms designs really impressed me and Steven was extremely responsive from the get go. He was able to deliver concepts that met my expectations and we only had to work on small details.

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

Ask the Egghead is pretty straightforward and Steven has good taste and ideas. I am happy I followed the firm's suggestions. If the project took a little extra time to get ready, it was usually related to me. I have a really busy schedule and was not able to deliver on the requests quick enough.

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

I love the look of the pages that Ask the Egghead puts together. That is what brought me to them to begin with.

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

Once the pandemic is done, I would love to have my consultations for future projects in person.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the office administrator and paralegal.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

Originally, Mr. May was our website manager. Our firm fired our former IT person and contracted with Mr. May to provide support to our firm.

What were your goals for this project?

We are still in the process of converting from server based software to cloud based software.

How did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

Mr. May's services were increased from managing our firm's website to include management of the entire office.

Describe the project in detail.

Mr. May is overhauling our firm's outdated equipment and software and bringing us into the 21st century. He is handled the entire coordination between two software companies, performing backups and exporting data for conversion to the new company.

He has spoken with the owner of the firm and myself for our "wish list" and has provided several alternatives to reach our goals for productivity and streamlining.

What was the team composition?

Mr. May and myself.

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

Mr. May has been the right hand for all our IT equipment and software issues. He came into a mess from a prior IT relationship and is still with us. We are still in the middle of a software conversion which will probably take us to the first of 2021.

Mr. May constantly keeps me in the loop with updates, etc. Mr. May is always accessible and his demeanor and patience is OUTSTANDING.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Outstanding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Mr. May's ability to solve any and all the problems we have given him and be able to talk to me in a manner I understand. IT can be daunting to someone who is not a specialist and he is able to converse with me on a level that I understand.

This is important as I have to relay this information to the owner. He is very accessible and this is important to our firm.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been impressed with Mr. May.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Office Manager for the US office of ExploreUkraine.co. Explore Ukraine is a travel and tourism promotion web site for the country of Ukraine.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

We needed a site that was extremely fast and responsive on all platforms. We had experienced several mishaps in our prior site development project and we turned to Ask the Egghead to help us build a site that was extremely fast, mobile responsive and engaging.

What were your goals for this project?

A faster more responsive site that increased engagement and reduced the bounce rate of our first time visitors.

How did you select this vendor?

We put out an RFQ and received quotes from a little over a dozen organizations and we chose Ask the Egghead because of their reputation, price and estimated time for project completion.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The team at Ask the Egghead redesigned and redeveloped our entire website from the ground up, the entire project took only 4 weeks to complete.

What was the team composition?

I dealt with Steven May mostly and he managed the entire project including a webinar training at the end on how to utilize and manage the backend of the site.

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

We are still building our directory but directory respondents have tripled in the first 60 days since launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

As I previously stated I worked solely with Steven May and he managed the project entirely, delegating work within his team after discussions with me and my team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed at which they were able to perform the work and get the project completed. Literally the site unfolded before our eyes as my team as provided a staging site to follow the agile development process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Absolutely none. They performed amazingly and the project was completed within our predetermined budget. We have stayed with them for SEO and maintenance since our launch.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The National Alliance for Caregiving is an advocacy and research organization. Advocate and do research for caregivers that do not get paid. I am currently the Executive Administrator and Special Assistant to the President/CEO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

We hired "Ask the Egghead" company to provide our website with a new look and face. To provide a cleaner look and easy to navigate. New features were also added, such as portals.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is a new face and design be create for the website, easier to navigate, allow our members, board, and staff to communicate through portals.

How did you select this vendor?

We requested proposals from three different vendors and Ask the Egghead came out on top and selected.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They redesigned, restructure, participated in various meetings, collected input and information from our team, and suggested easier and better ideas for the website, and launched it.

What was the team composition?

We had a team of 7 on staff and I was the lead. Each would provide information and what they wanted exactly for their department associated with the website. Ask the Egghead, Inc. did all the work and design.

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

The impact that this project had on the business was well received. The project was done professionally, in a timely manner, and with great skill. Our Board of Directors, Members, and Constituents provided rave reviews on how professional and great the website looks.

Since we are a caregiving organization, the public has been gravitating to our website for information even more. My President/CEO is very happy with the work completed of the project and shares it often.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project Management was arranged through me and Ask the Egghead. We keep in contact on daily basis, scheduled meetings either twice a month or as needed, set up final reviews, and used Zoom Meeting platform to review the website.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing about this company is that it's very professional, flexible, and prompt! Their creativity is on point.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No improvements needed at the moment. I do suggest hiring additional skilled webmasters, because if they continue to provide such excellent work in future, they will be in high demand. I will definitely referred this company to others.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ethiopian owner Meaza Zemedu’s Meaza Restaurant, Cafe and Gourmet Grocery Store have been featured in such press outlets as the Washingtonian and the Washington Post was born of humble roots. Meaza Zemedu started her business by supplying local Ethiopian stores with her home-baked injera bread, a crepelike staple of Ethiopian cuisine.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

Create a new website that connected with all of our online ordering apps and all of our social media platforms.

What were your goals for this project?

To get a clean fresh website design that worked perfectly on mobile devices. (80% of our users are on mobile devices)

How did you select this vendor?

I requested a bid from 4 different companies and this company had the nicest portfolio of prior completed work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Ask the Egghead designed a new website complete with backend connectivity to all of our social media profiles allowing for a single point of content dissemination for all new menu items, etc. As well as backend connectivity to all of our online ordering apps and online reservation system

What was the team composition?

The team was comprised of Steven May, handled our entire project from start to finish. He is the sole point of contact for our ongoing maintenance and social media management as well.

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

The new site has been a complete success. We have seen a 60% increase in the number of online orders via click through from our site. And our Open Table reservation costs has dropped by 25% due to website visitors clicking on our link vs. navigating through the open table app.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Steven May Jr was my sole point of contact, from proposal to design and development and all the way to maintenance and social media management he has been my sole contact point with Ask the Egghead.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their portfolio and follow through. Steven is incredibly efficient at communicating and following up with us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not for me. the entire process has been extremely issue free and I am very happy with the results.