Echo&Co

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m director of member and visitor services for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. We’re an encyclopedic museum with special exhibitions, gallery rotations, a strong membership presence, and many ticketed and free programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

We were looking for somebody to help us define, streamline, and improve the UX for membership, ticketing, and online giving. It’s the last step in a larger project of us implementing a new CRM system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

At a high level, Echo&Co led us through three phases to look at defining personas, use cases, and a vision for the new customer experience. The first phase was project kickoff, which led into auditing the user journey and flow mapping. They recruited for testers to go through our current website at an offsite venue. They also did a heuristic evaluation of our website. 

Phase two included internal product working sessions where we talked about what we want to do, where we want to go, and our challenges. In parallel, we asked Echo&Co to do a technical evaluation of our e-commerce system. They conducted an evaluation and a feasibility assessment of options for API integration with our Drupal website. They also took the feedback from working sessions and from user research to develop a prototype. They then deployed and tested that prototype with people recruited from the museum's membership. 

In the final phase, Echo&Co put together their recommendations into a detailed implementation roadmap and a definition scope. The end product was a document that we can use to develop an RFP to find a vendor to work with us on the implementation of their recommendations, including web development. 

What is the team composition?

The overall team was five people. We worked directly with Graziella (partner & CEO, Echo&Co), Peter (CTO, Echo&Co), a director of UX/UI, an assistant UX/UI developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co? 

We’d previously worked with their technical arm on an e-commerce solution for the museum. They did a great job so we knew that they had strong development experience. They also came recommended from a UX/UI perspective. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the $100,000–$150,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place between March–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we feel that they were quite successful in the work that they did. There aren't any concrete measures because we haven't put their recommendations into action yet. Echo&Co delivered on what we spec'd in the scope of work.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was adequate. It sometimes took a little while to resolve issues. The team also seemed a bit redundant. However, they were very responsive in working with us to look at how we tracked hours and understanding what they were doing. They were extremely solid in terms of managing the overall budget—and they did come in on budget. 

They were mostly able to meet deadlines without a problem. There was some scope creep, which resulted in conversations about what they were doing and how that related to the project.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Echo&Co had an amazing ability to quickly understand our goals and aspirations. They’re extremely articulate when talking about the customer or the user as being critical to our business. They were the best partner that we've ever worked with at getting our team into a frame of mind where thinking about the UX becomes very natural. Their discussion process led to great insights. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

One area improvement would be in their presentation of findings. Their executive presentation was fantastic, but the presentation on UX/UI findings should have been more dynamic and less didactic. They could have presented materials in advance for review so that the conversations with the team were less regurgitation and more discussion. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Having frequent conversations with Graziella is critical. She really dives in and has a deep level of experience. Be clear about how you want the project to be managed. Also be clear about scope. It’s critical to have regular communication about what they’re doing for you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m chief development officer with JCHE. We provide affordable, independent housing to low-income seniors, as well as robust services and programs to promote healthy aging.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

We had been unsuccessfully attempting to rebrand our organization for the last three years, so we reached out to Echo. We wanted a new name and a new design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Echo began with a discovery process. They spoke to key stakeholders, analyzed our existing audience, and looked to market groups to determine the people our brand needed to reach. They also worked with us closely and listened to our feedback to ensure the new name met our parameters. Once we identified a name, Graziella (Partner & CEO, Echo&Co) presented the results to our board.

Neal (Associate Director, Echo&Co) was involved in all of our conversations and applied his understanding of our company to his designs. He presented four potential paths during our first concept meeting, all of which were stunning, and we then went through the process of narrowing down our options. He ultimately incorporated our feedback into a final design and a new logo. We plan to move forward with the development of a website, as well.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Graziella and Neal, but because branding is not Echo’s specialty, they also took the brilliant step of bringing in an expert from another agency.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

I had worked with Echo at a previous job and they also knew one of our board members. We selected them after considering three different agencies.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent roughly $70,000 for the entire project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to accomplish what our previous efforts could not. Our board voted in favor of the name and were very impressed by the new logo.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Having worked with them on a previous development project, I knew they were very organized and did a good job of keeping the client on task. This was one of the main reasons we hired them. I’ve never had to follow up with them.

They visit our office as needed and also set up conference calls. They’re always accessible via email, phone, or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re not branding specialists, so we wanted a creative agency willing to share their expertise. We had a negative experience with a previous company, but Echo stepped in and carefully explained the rationale behind their recommendations.

Echo also understands subtle characteristics unique to nonprofits. They recognize that our time is valuable and don’t waste energy on unnecessary meetings.

Graziella, in particular, is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met. She was able to present their ideas to our board in a professional manner. They are very genuine people and their respect and admiration for our mission came shining through. As a company, they obviously need to earn money, but they’re still driven by a desire to good in the world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They sometimes presented information to us about our own company that we already knew. This seems to be standard operating procedure among creative firms and I learned to be more vocal about this complaint.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One of the reasons my relationship with Echo and Graziella has been so successful is that we both approach it as a partnership. This allows us to be honest with each other and guarantees the best results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communications at a nonprofit housing organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

After merging with another company, we found ourselves in charge of a lot web assets, including six different websites and a great deal of web resources that weren’t being curated or kept up to date. We wanted to build a single website that would encompass our purpose and identity, as well put all of our resources in one place. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before partnering with Echo, we launched a shell website as a placeholder while we tried to find a company that would help us strategize our company’s identity, as well as our audiences’ identity. Because of the merge, we didn’t have a clear sense of self or a shared language, so we wanted to develop that before building the site.

When we decided to partner with Echo, we had our first in-person meeting during which we identified the persons for the different audiences we served, as well as secondary audiences we reached. We narrowed those down to three main personas our new website will serve, allowing us to move forward in the development and design of the website with more clarity.  

Because our team doesn’t know much about website development, Echo is walking us through the entirety of the process, from wireframes to content curation to frontend design. Our various sites are currently on WordPress, but they’re building our new site on Drupal. We experienced a lot of frustration attempting to make our site more dynamic with Wordpress plugins prior to working with Echo — one of our Wordpress sites had 67 different plugins and that turned out to be a mess. Echo helped us decide Drupal was best for what we wanted to accomplish with our new site.

Echo has also helped us prioritize our site’s features. They recognize our budget has a limit, so they’ve helped us make decisions on what we need and what we can wait on. For instance, a robust events page was in our original plans, but we don’t have enough events for it to be a really useful addition, so we’ve opted to take that out and Echo has helped us find a better use for the money we saved.

What is the team composition? 

We work with five members of their team pretty closely on a regular basis, though I’ve met around 12.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

We were initially interested in a firm that could help us strategize and reorganize our brand — we didn’t mind having to go to a separate firm for development and design work. We sent out an RFP, and Echo was among the 30 firms that replied. We went through a big interview process and chose them because they were not only able to help us strategize, but they also could handle the development and design of the new site.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them January 2017, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we’re a national organization that serves a niche market, it can be difficult to find an audience to focus on. Prior to working with Echo, we partnered with a firm that really struggled to understand our mission and who our audience is. We had to continually correct them on what we do.

We never had that problem with Echo. They were immediately able to grasp our mission and, as a result, they were able to narrow down the user personas that we wanted our site to serve from about 24 to three. Those three personas really encompass about 90 percent of our audience, and that’s been extremely helpful in informing our work moving forward.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well. One of the things that I really like about them is even though we do have a project manager who keeps us on track with our schedule and budget, we’re not forced to relay our expectations for the designers and developers through a project manager. The designers and developers are involved in all the necessary conversations, so I’m able to speak with them directly.

We use Basecamp and Asana to communicate with them and track the project’s progress. They work diligently to remain available and deliver by deadline, despite my team being on Pacific time and their team being on East Coast time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m a big fan of Graziella Jackson, who’s Echo’s partner and CEO. She’s done work in nonprofit communications before, so she has a different understanding of our work than a lot of people in tech. She understands budget restrictions and the significance of identifying your audience, so she manages her team with those factors in mind. That’s proven to be incredibly valuable in this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not for us. They’re really good at what they do, so it can be a bit expensive. They may be a bit cost-prohibitive for smaller organizations, but we’re really lucky we have a budget for them. They’re worth every penny.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of digital innovation and technology for Operation Smile where I primarily oversee the web properties and marketing platforms that support our fundraising initiatives. We’re a nonprofit international medical organization that helps repair cleft lips and cleft palates of patients around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

Our main website is primarily used for fundraising and other marketing communications. We have a vast array of products that we offer on it to get our supporters involved in the organization. However, the “Act Now/Get Involved” section of the site was too confusing and cumbersome to educate our constituents on the correct ways to get involved with the organization. We brought in Echo to utilize their UX expertise and clean up that entire section.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We knew our audience, but we couldn’t figure out how to get them to become volunteers, donors, and fundraisers. We wanted to make sure our conversion rate where it needed be on all levels without negatively affecting existing users that come to the website and make donations. Echo came in after we did audience profiling and handled the design and development work alongside our backend development partner.

They designed a completely new page layout. The previous “Act Now” section had a dropdown of 12 internal pages, so they consolidated that content into a single landing page that isn’t overwhelming for the user. Creating that template required them to provide functionality enhancements to our Drupal backend. In doing so, they incorporated existing elements of the site, so nothing felt out place.

We’re currently engaged with them on a new website overhaul project. They’re heavily involved in the content strategy for that refresh.

What is the team composition?

A team of four people was assigned to the UX project and we work with two people for current engagement. A project manager is our primary point of content.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

Our backend development partner introduced us as they already had a good working relationship. It was important to us to bring in a company who could work with the development partner and be efficient in the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a lot of great feedback internally, as well as from users who are new to the site. We have a lot of stakeholders internally who are involved with that section as it drives their conversion rates. Getting positive reactions from them was a great win for us.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re not overwhelming with meetings and hit milestones when promised. Whenever there are hiccups or questions, they’ve always brought us in as early as possible to make sure they deliver instead of just making assumptions. We initially felt a little uneasy only having a single round of reviews on a lot of items, but that ended up being the best way keep the project moving forward. It's been a great experience that’s taken a lot off of our plate and made it easy to focus on other projects.

Echo offered to do an in-person workshop that proved very beneficial. They use Basecamp as a communication and project management platform. That made the process easier by having everything in one place.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to understand not just our brand, but also our needs regarding the goals of the organization for fundraising, branding, and organizational culture. They understand not only how to execute on the project, but also how to internally communicate in a way that doesn’t slow down the process. It was nice having them apart of the team early on and not having to do the legwork to get them caught up.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t experienced anything negative throughout the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Fully understand your objectives and goals from the beginning. When we initially engaged with Echo, we considered an entirely different campaign for them to get involved with. We weren't quite sure what we were trying to achieve with that campaign and brought them into the UX project, which ended up being a lot more valuable in our eyes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a nonprofit in the science and health sector.  I’m a VP of communications and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

Our website was very outdated in terms of aesthetics and functionality. It also wasn’t mobile-friendly. It was time for a new website and strategy that were both more contemporary.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the strategy and were involved in every part of building the website. They showed us the wireframes first and then built the website from scratch. They proposed the architecture and branding, as well as the look-and-feel. They built it on Drupal and educated us on why that platform was a good choice.

They made the site mobile-responsive. They set up a progression where those impacted by diseases could begin with basic-level information and then move into more detailed knowledge. They made the site aesthetically-appealing.

They understood that our audience consists of older people because these are age-related diseases. They kept the navigation appropriate for them. They listened to what we wanted and delivered on it.

We kept the branding consistent. The images they selected were great matches.

What is the team composition?

There were 2–4 people on a regular basis during the project. I’m sure there were many more behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

We used an RFP process. Echo came as a reference from a friend. We had 4–5 groups that bid on the project, but Echo was clearly the best. It was an easy choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2014 and launched the website in July 2015. We still work together on platform enhancements and other tasks. It’s a retainer-based situation for a modest number of hours per month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People are really happy with the website and we have about three million visitors per year. The new website is much more modern and has a more usable foundation. Any complaints or concerns have been around very minor operational things, which we are continuing to tweak. We’re at peace knowing that the website is never finished.

We had to pick a launch date, but we knew we would continue working on it afterward. You can get stuck in your own head and go years before launching a site because there’s always something left to do.

We all learned so much about digital communication in addition to the website build. They aren’t just a service provider. Our experience with Echo has elevated our thinking about digital strategy.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They have very clear and simple communication. They keep projects manageable. They did series of sprints during development to make sure that we were focusing our attention on the right things. They were very good about divvying responsibilities.

We had a project manager with weekly check-ins during development as well. We used Basecamp for managing the flow of information and documents. Echo has great project managers who help us through decision-making processes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re brilliant, creative, and enthusiastic people. We have a clear sense of their support for our nonprofit organization’s mission. They are tremendously inspiring and some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Their customer service skills are really good despite operating in an industry that has a lot of turnover. They either hire well, train well, or pay well. They’re clear and positive and never make excuses. They always perform at their best with us.

They did a good job of listening to stakeholders and both internal and external audiences of our organization pre-development. They also did a great job in understanding the user experience and incorporating branding throughout the site.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re expensive, but you get what you pay for when it comes to Echo. I understand that, so I have no specific concerns.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You get out of the situation what you put into it. The client needs to deliver a lot of clarity in addition to financial resources. Echo consists of great listeners who are very intuitive, but they’re not mind readers. You need to communicate what you want clearly. Explain some of the challenges. No organization is perfect.

There may be some unresolved strategic or tactical questions. You have to be honest about where your organization needs to improve. Be honest about people and communication styles. You have to help them help you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Free Press is a national nonprofit working to protect our rights to connect and communicate. We're working to create a world where people have the information and opportunities they need to tell their own stories, hold leaders accountable, and participate in our democracy. We fight to save the free and open internet, curb runaway media consolidation, protect press freedom, and ensure diverse voices are represented in our media. I'm the Managing Director, overseeing our programmatic work, organizational development and staffing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

We’re working with Echo to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since Echo hosted our existing website, they’ve worked with us on every step of the redesign. They helped us determine our goals for a new website, what we wanted to accomplish, by creating a new content strategy to refocus our brand.

We thought it was essential to ensure that website visitors saw themselves reflected in our work. We wanted people to understand how our policy initiatives impact their lives and communities, so this had to be taken into consideration in terms of the website design and UX/UI. Echo played a crucial role in understanding our current audience, as well as future users as our organization grows.

While we explored the possibility of refreshing our existing site, we ultimately determined it would be best to do a complete overhaul. Echo is currently developing a new site from scratch using Drupal.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with their team of 8–10 designers and developers. It’s been a great experience.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

We’ve worked with Echo for a long time, originally hiring them to host our existing website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2013 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t yet launched the new site, but the design they provided is beautiful. We've shown it to a few of our staffers and it was wonderful seeing their reactions. The design they created truly reflects our organization and the values we hold.

They’re transforming our existing site to one that will help us better meet our engagement goals and help users understand the issues we focus on. This will ultimately help us gain influence within the public policy-making space.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of their greatest assets and they’ve taught us a lot about organizing large projects. They have a strong handle on all levels and play a key role in keeping us engaged. While we provide input and materials when necessary, Echo is the one leading the project.

We communicate through phone, email, Basecamp, and regular in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We get a lot of value from the expertise of Graziella (Jackson, Partner & CEO, Echo&Co). She has exceptional skill in terms of UX and engages with us at all the right moments. We’ve learned so much from her and truly appreciate the way she interacts with us as a client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve quickly addressed any issues we’ve raised, so I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a firm idea of your goals moving into the project. Keep an open mind to any suggestions they provide, but it helps to have a clear vision to serve as a concrete starting point. Projects of this size require balancing a number of factors, but if you’re clear about your priorities, Echo will work with you to outline the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the digital director overseeing the website at a large national nonprofit focusing on environmental issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

We had an outdated website with lots of bugs that no longer met our needs from a technical perspective. It didn’t serve our goals and the developing identity of the organization. We wanted something more modern that had the features we needed and was better-aligned with our goals going forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The old site was designed a decade ago, and it was showing its age. We had a few kickoff and strategy meetings, and they worked with our internal stakeholders to understand our needs. After this, they came to us with proposed wireframes and designs.

They led the entire redesign, from the strategy phase through to implementation. They worked on strategy and to understand our goals, followed by user experience [UX] design and the technical buildout. It was a complete web rebuild using a different platform, Drupal. They took some content from our old site, but everything else was done from scratch.

We wanted more flexibility on how we presented our content, and for that content to be more SEO  and social media friendly. We also wanted a generally more modern look and feel. We contracted them for some content strategy support as well, and worked together on our format, needs and process for the content. We handled its actual creation in-house.

What is the team composition?

There were 4 people assigned to our core project team, and we worked with a handful more resources periodically. I was the internal project manager, and worked with their developers and designers in a minimal way. Most of the communication went through their project manager.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

We went through an open RFP [request for proposal] process, and received proposals from quite a few vendors. We knew of Echo&Co’s reputation in the nonprofit space, which made them a strong candidate. We were ultimately impressed by their UX and design experience, which is why we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was between $100,000 and $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Echo&Co in October 2014 and finished in December 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site launched on time for the end-of-year fundraising season, which was a big concern for us. The launch went smoothly, and both the internal and external feedback was positive—the site looked much more modern, had a fresh feel, and emphasized our advocacy work in a way that the old site didn’t. We received great comments from users and donors, and I don’t believe there was any negative feedback. Everyone was impressed by the new look.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept things on track and remained focused on the tight deadline. When there were any issues or miscommunications, they were quick to resolve them. We primarily communicated over phone and email, and used Basecamp for project management. Echo&Co was local to us, so we had some in-person meetings as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a great grasp of strategy and a very good understanding of the challenges nonprofits face, which was very important for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Certain stakeholders should have been brought in earlier in the process. There were a few missed steps and points of miscommunication, but they were quick to resolve those issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of IT for an animal welfare organization. We run both stationary and mobile animal medical clinics in multiple cities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

Our organization is increasingly focused on mobile devices and collaboration with outside agencies. However, the kinds of software that have been developed in our area don’t really keep pace with the changing tide of technology.

We turned to companies like Echo to develop solutions for us that work better for mobile devices and with other kinds of technology to integrate with solutions such as file sharing, electronic signatures, or single sign on that can be used to collaborate with other organizations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them for 2 projects. The most recent project involved keeping track of animal patient data across different locations. We have a system right now which was developed based on one or two clinic locations and it isn’t web-based, it is client server-based and isn’t very mobile-friendly.

Echo&Co developed a web-based system, specifically the front-end interface as well as the data model behind it. We are piloting it in one clinic, which is opening in 2019. As that pilot goes on, we are going to expand it to another city and additional clinics throughout the country as we increase its functionality.

They helped with the design work as well, and I think this is where they really shine and one of the reasons I was so happy to work with them on this project. They did the wireframes, which were beautiful. For the development, they favor Drupal, while on the backend, they tend to favor MySQL, which we used as it allowed us to create a prototype relatively quickly and effectively.

The second project was on a Drupal website that faces professionals in our field as opposed to the general public. This existing website was dated in terms of its look and technology. They spent a lot of time working on making it more efficient.

What is the team composition?

I have worked with around 10 people from their team, including developers, project managers, and designers.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

We had put out an RFP [request for proposals] and we also had a referral for them. A company we worked with once mentioned that Echo was a good choice. The decision was mostly based on their proposal and the referral supported that.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent roughly $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People that have seen the application think it is attractive, easy to use, and looks like it would be quick to enter data in a routine way.

Echo’s strength is in designing systems that allow us to store relatively complex information, without a lot of complexity in terms accessing that information.

Their strength shone through even in the more generic project of the website update, and they really did quite beautiful work. They asked excellent questions, and really honed in on what problem we were trying to solve, what we were trying to accomplish, and how they could get us there as quickly and effectively as possible.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very on task. We employed our own project managers on both projects because they involved so many moving pieces on our side. However, we're able to lean on them to keep the project moving forward when we need to as their project management is quite solid.

We use Basecamp to communicate. They are also very happy to come on-site and meet with us and we’ve had at least 2 big on-site meetings. Generally, they were flexible and put a lot of different technologies under consideration. They were willing to work in a lot of different technologies and picked the one that was best suited to our use case.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Graziella [CEO, Echo&Co] really takes her time. Most often, the owner thinks of themselves as more of a salesperson, but she really ensures that they are consistently delivering a quality project. She is also a pretty flexible problem solver. These were 2 really large projects for us, inevitably with little snags along the way, but every time she was willing to think outside the box and look at all angles.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They deliver very high quality, and anyone should be prepared to pay for high quality. It is not a detriment to them, but you pay for the quality you get from them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The only reason not to go with them is if you feel you really have to budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Founder and Director of Digital Security Exchange. We help civil society organizations improve their digital security capacity and mitigate risks they face online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

As a startup, I needed an agency to build our website and establish our digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I approached them with the concept. In addition to technical development, Echo functioned as a strategic partner, helping us build the project out methodically. They created an elegant design for the site that’s welcoming for new users, a rarity in our field. Because we didn’t have the budget for a logo, they also created a wordmark for us.

In terms of development, I didn’t want to use a standard CMS template. Those are built on a complicated backend more vulnerable to online attacks. Instead, Echo built our website with Jekyll, a static website generator. They also figured out how to build an input set functionality through a form that wasn’t native to our system.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people, including project managers, a developer, a designer, and the CEO.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

Echo is a trusted name in the security space. They have an elevated status and I know the founder, so I was aware of their past work with other nonprofit clients.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $70,000. They’re more expensive than some competitors, but they deliver top quality.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017 and our relationship is ongoing. The site launches next month and we're discussing a new round of work with a related but separate project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site does everything we need it to do. Its intuitiveness allows developers on our end to easily integrate our data retention mechanisms.

We’re also very pleased with the design. The color scheme is much lighter and approachable. Additionally, they took the bold step of using abstract imagery to visually explain the emotional qualities of the product. This attention to design will help set us apart in the market.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Every agency manages projects differently, so there’s always a process of understanding one another’s methods. I was pleased with their management overall, though I did occasionally have to take proactive steps to ensure we met deadlines for certain deliverables.

They used Basecamp to manage the project. We conducted a number of video calls, as well as a few in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their not-so-secret weapon is Graziella [CEO, Echo&Co]. When you develop a website with her, she helps you with every aspect. She helps fine-tune the concept, considers the appropriate messaging for your entire audience, and provides advice on approaching funders. Following a recent meeting, for example, she immediately sent me a list of points to include in fundraising materials.

The security industry is a very specific niche and it’s easy to lose sight of how our branding is interpreted outside of our narrow community. Graziella helps you think outside the box in order to understand the big picture. Her ability to integrate unique design elements into a practical, technical solution is rare and valuable.

In addition, we were impressed that Echo&Co was able to work with security practices that aren't necessarily common among organizations outside of our industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so. As I mentioned, there’s always a period of adjustment when working with a new agency. Both sides have to get used to the other’s working style, but that’s normal and says as much about me as it does about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Chief Development Officer at Bowery Residents' Committee [BRC], a homeless outreach organization in New York City. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Echo&Co?

We needed Echo&Co to redesign our website from scratch. Since it was almost 12 years old, it was fairly outdated. Rather than just an overhaul, we requested a brand-new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Echo&Co worked with us on the site’s design and development from start to finish. This process included spending a few intense days at BRC headquarters to immerse themselves in our methodology. They met with our CEO to learn about all of our programs in depth. After getting a sense of our voice, they pinpointed what differentiates our company. Taking these steps helped them highlight our work in the most appealing and nuanced way possible. In many ways, they helped us formulate and refine a whole new brand. We'd conducted an environmental scan and mini strategic plan for our branding and communications the year prior, and this website was part of that rollout.

The site uses a Drupal platform, and the team crafted brand new content that’s totally distinct from our previous materials. Our main goal was to continuously highlight the dynamic nature of our work; our old site had been very static. Since we serve over 10,000 clients a year, interesting things are happening every single minute of the day. They also upgraded our donor giving page, making it easier for patrons to contribute online.

What is the team composition?

We worked very closely with three people, and two or three ancillary staff helped with certain pieces of the project. Graziella [CEO, Echo&Co] really set Echo&Co apart. She spent a lot of time getting to know BRC so she could convey our exact, nuanced message to the development team. She’s a fantastic and unique person to work with, and is well versed in many skill sets that don’t always come in one package. Not only could she answer any question we had, she could also provide empirical data to back it up.

How did you come to work with Echo&Co?

I worked with consultants on our communications and fundraising, who did an excellent job. They recommended five or six agencies, and Echo&Co was their number one suggestion. I interviewed three or four different firms prior to starting our engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2016, and launched the new website on December 1st, 2016. They trained us on performing content changes, but provide support for structural modifications. Echo&Co continues to provide hosting, maintenance, and development. They help us make major changes for anything on Drupal that we can't perform internally.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've received almost universally positive feedback. We made one major change to our news feature that shows the latest happenings at BRC, which wasn't initially effective. Based on user feedback, we changed the design and put it on the homepage, which receives the most traffic on a regular basis. We didn't want people to have to dig for that information. To date, we continue to get really good feedback on the site. The number of colleagues from other agencies who’ve asked me which vendor did our site is an especially strong indication of how much people like the results.

How did Echo&Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Lisa [Director of Client Engagement, Echo&Co] was our project manager and she was really great. She was always available, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Basecamp was the main tool we used, and we held frequent phone calls and video conferencing. They always were on time and delivered as promised. If they were ever late, it was because we didn't get provide materials on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're really smart, sharp, creative, and they deliver on everything that they promise. They never overpromise and under-deliver; they're fantastic. I really enjoyed working with Echo&Co and would happily recommend them to any company who can afford them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes when we reviewed the billing, the project manager seemed somewhat expensive. However, I think that's just the nature of how these projects are handled. Since we're a nonprofit, I'm always trying to save money without cutting quality. We felt good about investing in the website, because it was so important for our branding.