In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or anecdotal feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?
It’s difficult to give you specifics. The problem is, on the SharePoint side, we really didn’t track usage statistics. We knew the number of logins but, overall, it was a completely redesigned process. One of our goals was to eliminate email communications as the primary source of conveying information to our Alliance members. The portal was designed to be much more intuitive and user centric. We have a lot of content, but you could select the content that you were interested in following, if you will. To that end, it was very successful. We now have upward of 11,500 participants in the portal. Our previous site probably had closer to 3,000, and the statistics now show there’s a lot more activity on the portal than we ever had before.
When working with Duo Consulting, is there anything you would consider special or unique about their approach, methodology or services that distinguishes them from other vendors you’ve worked with?
Their process is extremely thorough. They take a very methodical approach to design and development. Each stage is approached with extreme care and attention to detail, and their documentation practices are quite fantastic.
In retrospect, are there areas you think they could improve upon as a service provider, or are there things you’d do differently as the client before initiating this type of project with them?
I honestly can’t think of anything. It was a very successful engagement. It was certainly what we had hoped for and probably more.
Do you remain confident that the Drupal CMS will continue to meet your business needs into the foreseeable future?
That was one of our key decisions in looking at historically where Drupal had been, when we looked at where 7 was at that time and where 8 is now. We knew that each consecutive version would bring enhanced functionality, but that the previous versions could also be sustained for quite some time even after a new release. That was important for us because this was a very large investment, and we expect to get a lot out of the system.
The new website yielded an eightfold increase in site visitors. Duo Consulting has experience working in the legal industry, which was great for the project because it allowed them to anticipate the site’s functionality needs. The team has effective project management and leadership overall.