EctoStar

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an international development agency. At the time of our engagement with EctoStar, I was responsible for web development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

We had very obsolete and redundant technology and wanted to revamp our entire website. We wanted a site that was easier for users but also easier for the people who manage and maintain it. It would be helpful to our organization if our site was more collaborative and open access so that we could give people access on an as-needed basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

EctoStar split our engagement into two phases. The first phase was the overall development and launch of our website. That phase was split into design, development, requirements gathering, and launch stages. Their team created a Drupal 7 website for us, creating an SEO module within Drupal.

The second phase involved other strategic enhancements to manage our day-to-day business and internal operations. We used our external website as an internal tracking tool. Phase Two helped us enhance this experience and bring in other smart functionalities that would help our processes.

What is the team composition?

One thing we specifically asked for in our contract was one main point of contact. We’ve found that having too many people involved can cause things to get lost. EctoStar assigned us one main point of contact for all of the stages of work. I was given direct access to him and could call him anytime I wanted. I know he had a team of developers behind him, but he was the only one I interacted with.

How did you come to work with EctoStar?

I received a recommendation from someone who was working with EctoStar at the time and showed us samples of their work. We were facing similar issues as them and realized EctoStar could help answer all of our information management business challenges.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with EctoStar ran from 2016–2017

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a really great response from people, including the management team who this was done for. Donors from different countries have provided positive feedback as well. Overall, it’s become a one-stop-shop where people can easily find what they’re looking for. The design is more intuitive for everyone, especially people going through basic training.

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams mainly communicated through email, although we had regular catch-up calls set up. Reaching out to our main point of contact was never a problem. I probably called him too frequently, I even reached out for smaller issues. He was always very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

EctoStar is responsive and reachable. Even if I had the slightest concern, I was never sitting and waiting for a response. Their very prompt solutions were helpful and well-designed. Their team is receptive to feedback and makes adjustments accordingly. 

Anytime there was a new development or functionality, they would immediately let me test it out. They were willing to let me move things around or change them. It was great working with them, and I would definitely use them again if I had the opportunity. I would recommend them to anyone doing Drupal development. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing we hadn’t initially thought of was hosting and performing maintenance on the site. Thankfully, EctoStar had already thought about that and we were able to add it to our engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Request one point of contact to avoid duplicate correspondence and confusions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a higher education institution that offers graduate-level degree programs and course offerings. I work in the Communications department and am the webmaster of the school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EctoStar?

I approached EctoStar for moving hundreds of documents from another website to our existing website for archival and research. I was soon impressed by their technical know-how and problem-solving skills as I spoke with them.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of this project was to create an archive of academic writings that is available to the public on the website for research purposes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Based on my conversations with Vahan, I realized that he and his team were very competant in Drupal and general technical know-how. They proposed the most time- and cost-effective solutions to the problem we tried to solve.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project began by collecting documents from another website and reformatting them. Then they designed mockups for the archive page. After the mockups were done, Vahan and his team worked on the development of the archival functionalities and created a new content type of these documents. When the development work was done, we worked on testing of the functionalities as well as further refining the formatting of these documents.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Vahan, who is the project manager, a user interface designer, and a web developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project allows us to make some archived but important academic writings available for research to the public.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Vahan has been very responsive to emails and requests for phone conversations. I am impressed with the quick responses and professionalism of how the project was managed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very communicative and I often get responses and updates quickly. They are also competent technically and often resolve issues in a timely manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am quite happy working with EctoStar. They are very keen on understanding the needs of your organization when they provide solutions to your problems.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an ICT Policy Specialist at a financial services organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

Our previous web platform ran on an under-used content management system (CMS). We hired EctoStar to develop a Drupal platform with expanded functionalities ad hosting for multiple toolkits. The platform needed to be mobile-responsive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? What were the different phases of the project?

The team migrated our content to the Drupal platform, for which they configured the CMS. They enabled website analytics features and set up domain names. EctoStar also provided training for our staff.

What is the team composition at EctoStar?

The five-person team included a project manager, two Drupal developers, a graphic designer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with EctoStar?

One of my colleagues recommended the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018. Although EctoStar has completed work, internal clearance is still pending.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform is beautifully designed and has a user-friendly interface.

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

EctoStar admirably conducted and completed their tasks. The company understood our needs and always responded to our inquiries in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

High-quality work, accessible communication, and quick turnarounds were notable strengths.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the editor-in-chief and director of content strategy at the National Association of Realtors. I oversee our website and a print magazine with its own website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

Our company website was built using Drupal 7, but the magazine’s website was created much earlier using Drupal 6, making it more difficult to maintain and keep secure. It was also not mobile-friendly. We hired EctoStar to transfer our magazine website to Drupal 7 and make the design align with the NAR website.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

EctoStar audited our entire site and compiled a list of pages that would need to be redesigned. They did much of the heavy lifting in that regard—identifying new ways to present articles, landing pages, and our awards program, for example. EctoStar presented several design options, and once we signed off on our favorite, they started the development in Drupal 7.

What is the team composition?

We met with the principal twice a week, and we’d meet with designers and developers when necessary.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the website’s improved look and functionality.

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

EctoStar gave us access to their project management solution, which worked well for us to communicate. They were responsive and never missed a beat. If we missed something, they’d hold us accountable. They understood how to handle the project from beginning to end. I don’t think we would have accomplished our goals in that timeframe if EctoStar had not been so organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t have a lot of experience working with other providers, but I have an outside perspective of other Drupal projects being conducted elsewhere in our company. To my knowledge, those projects have ended up being more expensive and less satisfying. EctoStar succeeds because they take the time to ask questions, and they know how to deliver valuable solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m hard-pressed to say what they could do differently. They outsource the development, which keeps the cost down. In doing so, they made every effort to meet our needs during our business hours. I rarely had an experience where I couldn’t meet with somebody because they were in a different country.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the knowledge management and communications specialist at the World Bank Group. When I worked with EctoStar, I was part of another unit in social development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

As the WorldBank.org external platform originally assigned to our project could have not contained the amount of information and resources that we wanted to showcase, we started looking for a vendor who could develop a brand new website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the time we had a trust fund, and we wanted our website to serve not just as a resource hub for practitioners, but also as a strategic communications tool to attract new donors and partners.

They also handled the development process. The website is essentially our resource library for practitioners working on poverty and social impact analysis. They enhanced the search functionality and created maps to showcase different projects across the globe.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with their leader and one other member of their team.

How did you come to work with EctoStar?

They'd worked with other units within the World Bank, so they were recommended to us. After we talked to them, we decided they'd be a great fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between April 2016–March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our internal team was impressed with the design and their ability to work fast. The website for us is like a business card that we present to the external world, so we wanted to have a visually attractive interface that is easy to navigate. EctoStar helped us accomplish our goals. They also gave us advice on how to showcase our resources in a way that was not confusing to people (because poverty policies are very technical and not everyone is familiar with them). I'll definitely consider them in the future if I have a similar project.

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very reliable. They responded quickly and met all of our deadlines. It was always clear to us what was going on with the project from the beginning to the end. They even came to our office to show us what they were working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're easy to work with because they're genuine, friendly, and precise. They met all of our expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When it comes to trust funds web pages, the platforms provided under the WorldBank.org domain cannot always cover all the information and resources that one wants to share with the public. I’d definitely recommend Ectostar to other departments within the World Bank or other international organizations who work on similar projects with international donors.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the communications specialist at International Finance Corporation (ICF). I’m the management officer for an online resource library and events platform managed by ICF.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

We’re a very small team and needed help to develop our event website, as well as our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our event website for us, making it both user friendly and mobile friendly. It’s a knowledge serving platform, with a huge library of online documents. They helped build a site that would allow users to find what they’re looking for, but it has quite standard pages. They continue to help us maintain it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a designer and a developer.

How did you come to work with EctoStar?

They were recommended by another team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve respected our deadlines and delivered the project as expected.

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re an organized team and use Teamwork to keep it that way. It’s effective for putting my requests in and they take action. My main point of contact is very responsible and reliable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a sense of our mission, our goals, what we’re trying to do, and who our stakeholders are. They understand the metrics and our needs really quickly, which is really helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like them to be in Washington D.C. so that I can see them more often.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a communications and knowledge management panelist for an international financial institution. My department specializes in financial competitiveness innovation, but I specifically focus on digital communications, overseeing our curated content across our site and digital products and sharing knowledge internally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EctoStar?

We wanted to build an externally facing platform to disseminate information on index insurance but lacked the resources to do it internally. As a result, we reached out to EchoStar to create our website from start to finish.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

EctoStar developed a Drupal site from scratch, helping us identify the requirements and choosing the appropriate platform. After structuring how the content would flow on the backend, the team designed the pages, implemented our tweaks, and hosted the domain on their server. They also linked our site to third-party services such as GoDaddy.com and Google analytics to enhance our functionality.

What is the team composition? 

They assigned a lead developer as our main point of contact. As the project progressed, he would connect us to other team members when necessary such as the designer and technical support. Because we mostly​ ​​​​​​interacted through email, I’m not sure if there were other resources working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with EctoStar?

We initially considered using our own IT department, but the pricing rate would’ve been too high, and we needed more advanced development skills. A colleague then suggested EctoStar because they were already supporting different departments within our organization. After a background check and a few conversations, we decided to move forward with them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Their work started in March 2015 and is ongoing. Once we launched the site, they continued to stay onboard in a support role, but we’re now working with them on a new project to overhaul the design and functionalities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get about 50,000 visitors per year. Although every visitor isn’t necessarily knowledgeable about index insurance, we’ve made significant leaps in getting the information out there and have hit our KPIs. 

How did EctoStar perform from a project management standpoint?

Compared to other overseas vendors I’ve worked with, EctoStar’s level of responsiveness is unique. They always respond within 10 minutes to our emails, even if it’s just to confirm that they’ve received our message. This is reassuring to me as a relationship-oriented person.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their aesthetic sense is outstanding, and I’ve never had a problem working with them. For the website redesign, we’ve given them the technical specs and are satisfied with their first draft. I appreciate that they’re vocal about providing alternative suggestions based on their expertise. They’re keen to share new ideas that they think would be best for our product.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, I can’t think of anything that they could do better. Everything has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them to do their job. They know what they’re doing and do it well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a co-founder and acting president of Policy Forum Armenia (PFA), an independent non-profit organization aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development and national security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EctoStar?

We needed an external resource to help us with website design and development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an interactive website that would host information on a broad range of products and activities that PFA produces.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They came to us through a recommendation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

EctoStar designed two versions of our website. They’ve maintained the site for a number of years.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with the principal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website they created allowed us to have a solid, professional online presence. EctoStar helped us secure that presence on a shoestring budget.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It worked well for us to deal with the principal. Workflow was quite effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their care and timeliness of responses made them stand out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.