Ask the Egghead, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the COO of OST Global Solutions Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a one-stop Business development, capture, and proposal consulting company that helps Federal Government Contractors win business and grow.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ask the Egghead, Inc. to accomplish?

• Redesign and Redevelop a 10 Year Old Website
• Migrate all content and courses from separate domains to one single new site.

SOLUTION

How did you find Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

Online Search

Why did you select Ask the Egghead, Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from Ask the Egghead, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Ask the Egghead will Develop, Design, Build and Launch the New Website Develop and Design the site, Generate a simple XML site map for all resources A widget to allow sign up to OST's Newsletters Ongoing IT support Through Launch (Revisions & Testing) Steps to Be Taken Design the new home page and multiple keyword-oriented landing pages and subpage templates. Connect the site to all social media platforms (create platform pages where none exist). Design the site in an SEO-friendly manner that covers all targeted SEO attributes. Build a complete online forms management system that provides a workflow for all data submissions through the site. 

This is an adaptable forms system: Gravity Forms (or client-provided plugin and license for Cognito Forms) will be implemented across all parts of the website to create robust and easy to edit forms to gather information. Form entries and data can be downloaded/exported as PDF, XLS, or HTML. Gravity Forms (or client-provided plugin and license for Cognito Forms) will be used for Learning Services Forms, Contact Forms, etc. Additional Gravity Forms (or client-provided plugin and license for Cognito Forms) will be utilized as a platform for client content generators to publish site content without WordPress knowledge. The client will determine which forms plugin to utilize; if the client selects Gravity Forms all software and licensing will be provided by Ask the Egghead, Inc. as a part of this proposal, if the client selects Cognito Forms then the client is responsible to provide plugin and licensing for the software to Ask the Egghead during the development process. 

Add forms and effective call to action (CTA) buttons in all effective areas of the site. Make sure all forms of communication; phone, email are clickable. Ensure that backend functionality via API has been added that connects the site to all relevant social media platforms for automated consistent delivery of content originating from the website. Add Privacy Policy & GDPR Notice Include all Google Analytics setup and tracking. Include Site Schema Markup language for Google Search Console. Needed for Google Local and Organic Growth as well as local and proximity searches. Include Site Map Generators for both XML and HTML sitemaps with automated Google & Bing notification. Include robots.txt file generation. Includes all "Best Practices" SEO configurations and implementation needed to achieve a score of 70 or better as measured by WooRank. Online shopping (e-commerce) via a WooCommerce Learn Dash product and shopping cart system that will be implemented as a part of this project proposal. The new site will have a Google Page Speed Insights score of 90 or higher. (A Google PageSpeed Insights Score of 90 or higher is a significant boost to the overall SEO ranking.) Project Requirements Further Explained Ask the Egghead will Guide OST through a process to identify the strategy for the new website. 

Ask the Egghead will Guide OST through branding for the website Ask the Egghead will recommend navigation and information architecture that improves usability. Ask the Egghead will guide the website committee regarding appropriate content and messaging for the home page and up to six key landing pages with two interior templates for general use. Pages and templates should allow OST to effectively and efficiently add new pages and content over time Ask the Egghead will help define appropriate content models for the type of content we will regularly create. Ask the Egghead will develop a well-defined structure and fields to make it easy to publish new content so that the design styles for content look uniform and consistent. Ask the Egghead will propose a user experience that will engage our audience and help achieve our goals. Ask the Egghead will use a modern content management system (WordPress 5.6 or the most current non-beta release) to enable the easy and efficient publication of content as well as new pages. 

Ask the Egghead will migrate selected content from our current website to the new website Ask the Egghead will implement search tools to allow keyword searches of all content; Ask the Egghead will include tools for analytics and also help to identify goals to track on the website. The website will be linked to OST Facebook and Instagram (as well as various other social media platforms) to facilitate content flow. The website will be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level A, as measured by the web accessibility evaluation tool (WAVE). (To this end Ask the Egghead will include software for complete ADA Compliance as well as WCAG 2.1, ADA, s508 compliance.) OST will be provided with an Accessibility Compliance statement and certificate of performance. Ask the Egghead will create appropriate web forms to enable website visitors to contact OST Ask the Egghead will create a responsive website that will scale for mobile, tablets, notebook/desktop, and widescreen monitors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The successful migration of all content, and of all e-commerce items; on-demand courses, books, and live event tickets. A new, responsive, SEO-optimized website that'll build engagement and generate revenue.

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

They were incredibly responsive and delivered on time and within budget.

What was your primary form of communication with Ask the Egghead, Inc.?

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

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

The level of communication and efficiency of the turnaround time on designs and changes.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ask the Egghead, Inc. could have done differently?

They were amazing. Nothing to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and President of OST Global Solutions. OST Global Solutions, Inc. was founded in 2005 by Olessia Smotrova. Since then, we have won over $23 billion in funded contracts for our clients. We are a one-stop Business development, capture, and proposal consulting company that helps Federal Government Contractors win business and grow.

Our consultants deeply care about this country, and we believe in the value that Federal Government contractors deliver in support of our Nation. Most bids we work on result in contracts with a tremendous impact on society. This knowledge drives our Team to develop outstanding proposals that become project plans. Better project plans lead to well-executed mission-critical work, which makes our country better off.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our original website was created over 10 years ago and included many deprecated technologies and a significantly older design. We hired Ask the Egghead to overhaul our entire website, blog, learning management system (LMS), and online marketing (landing pages). In order to bring a level of consistency to our brand and to bring all of these different content areas under a single domain.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for new providers and, after a lengthy review process, selected three for final proposals. After the interview process, we chose Ask the Egghead as the provider for the project.

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

To bring all our content areas under one domain and provide a new design that improves the user experience and promotes engagement.

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

I worked with Steven, CEO at Ask the Egghead, as he was our sole point of contact and the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen a 350% increase in engagement and a 185% increase in revenue from the new design and workflow created by the team over at Ask the Egghead.

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

Steven took a hands-on approach to the management of the project and was in communication with my team every few days and me. New concepts were developed in real-time in a staging environment where my team could review and test new functionality and designs in a live environment.

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

The speed and responsiveness of the team and their work ethic. They worked tirelessly to help us achieve our goals.

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

None at all; I am thrilled with the result. The entire project was a complete success from both the design and bottom-line perspectives.

BACKGROUND

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.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

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.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

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.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

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.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

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!

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

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

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the office administrator and paralegal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.

BACKGROUND

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.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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.

SOLUTION

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.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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.