IWD Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the VP of Marketing of a manufacturing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

My company provides reliable, innovative level measurement and inventory management solutions to optimize operations, improve safety, and satisfy employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IWD Agency to accomplish?

• Manage Adobe Magento Website

SOLUTION

How did you find IWD Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select IWD Agency over others?

Other

How many teammates from IWD Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Hosting and implementation of Adobe Magento Ecommerce website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had utilized three other Adobe Magento partners before working with IWD with limited success. Although we eventually moved away from Adobe Magento, IWD proved to the the most capable of the partners we worked with on this complex and expensive website platform.

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

Working with IWD was a pleasant experience. The people on their team are knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely enjoyable to work with. Throughout our Adobe Magento project, they consistently helped us navigate the complexities of the Magento ecosystem while coordinating effectively with our other technology partners. Their regular online meetings kept projects moving, addressed challenges that frequently arose, and provided practical recommendations that fit both our technical requirements and business goals. Beyond development, they were a valuable resource for web-related services, integrations, and best practices. We recommend IWD to any large organization with a fully staffed website department and a large budget, looking for an experienced, collaborative partner for Adobe Magento and eCommerce projects.

What was your primary form of communication with IWD Agency?

Virtual Meeting

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

The people who work for IWD are conscientious, understanding, and talented. The team worked hard to keep our website up and running and work within our budget.

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

We should have abandoned the Adobe Magento platform and moved onto something different before we partnered with IWD.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the owners of Paragon Machine Works. It’s a machine shop and we make things out of steel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWD Agency?

We were creating a website using a new e-commerce platform and needed help with the design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a redesign of the website in Magento, which we had already purchased, so it wasn’t a bottom-up process. They would organize the different pages so that it was more user-friendly and if I wanted something configured, they would make it happen.

I have a basic understanding of web design and implementation, but they modified things in Magento that I didn’t know how to do. They were able to fix any problems or create the software needed so that I could make things work the way I wanted to on the website.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with about half a dozen people on their team.

How did you come to work with IWD Agency?

I found them through a web search. Their ratings were really good, and when I called them, their customer service was great. When looking for agencies, I wanted to find someone who was responsive and knew what they are talking about. Both of those things were evident with IWD Agency.

How much have you invested with them?

Probably $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began in May 2016, and is still ongoing. We consult with them if any issues come up or improvements need to be made. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clientele tends to be older, so some people didn't like the changes. More specifically, they said they liked the way it looked but didn’t like the way it functioned. I can attribute the design to IWD Agency and the functionality is more Magento. I've gotten some compliments, but overall I’ve found people usually resist change and do not embrace it in regards to a website.

How did IWD Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. We communicated through phone but primarily by email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say their customer service. They're really on top of stuff and always come back to me in a timely manner. They were able to solve problems and figure things out that I couldn't. They provide great customer service and their knowledge level is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

All of a sudden, I noticed that I was corresponding with people whose English language skills were not as good. I knew something had changed and nobody had reached out and informed us that they were going to take some of the functions and give them to people in the Ukraine. When I talked with our project manager, Donovan, he said that it can be hard to find designers in their area of the United States. They did it that way which works, but it would have been nice to get the heads up and understand what was going on.

Advice for potential customers?

If you don’t get a question answered, ask them again because they want to do a good job and get back to you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager for Froggys Fog. We manufacture theatrical fluids and maintain an e-commerce site that connects to various sales channels. We also offer options to rent fog machines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWD Agency?

Our commerce site runs off of Magento. We wanted to upgrade the backend and have a company manage it for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They had a major role in our site redesign, and they do the coding and web improvements for new features, as well as customizations to existing extensions and core functionality in Magento. IWD fixed some of the old functionality, and reconfigured the logic to better work with our new layout. We maintain the data integrity ourselves, while they edit and develop the backend, and roll out those changes to our production site.

The rental program on our site has a calendar function to show which stakes are available on a given day. Users can reserve fog machines and make payments from the site. IWD has eliminated a lot of errors from the scheduling process, especially issues with double-booking items.

What is the team dynamic?

Their team is usually three people, including a project manager and one or two coders. We’ve had two project managers since we started working with them. Most of our communication is through email or phone, and they use Zendesk for ticketing.

How did you come to work with IWD Agency?

We originally contracted our website through a different company, but wanted more transparency and timeliness than they were providing. We were already using some of IWD’s extensions in Magento, so we had a couple of conversations with them and determined they’d be a good replacement candidate for day-to-day maintenance and website customizations.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent slightly over $70,000 for the full site redesign and monthly maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in May 2016, and our maintenance contract is ongoing. We have a base number of monthly hours, which we can increase for extra activities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very satisfied with the work they do. Everybody likes our new site layout, which is easier to use. They’ve made smart suggestions on new features, including layered navigation to drill down through our lineup of 800–900 products.

How did IWD Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Their responses are timely. When we need a function they don’t offer, they make outside party suggestions to get the work done. They do whatever it takes to help meet our vision.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency and timeliness are important to us. They always complete complicated tasks, and I appreciate their willingness to see a problem through to a solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their timeline estimations seem longer than they should be. I am not a coding person, so they may be covering unforeseen complications in their estimates. It’s a minor issue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the product manager for Urbanspace Interiors. We do interior design and we have a showroom where we sell high-end furniture. We also have a website where we do e-commerce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire IWD Agency, and what were your goals?

• implement our leaderships E-commerce vision
• Magento functionality
• Customer support

SOLUTION

How did you select IWD Agency and what were the deciding factors?

We had heard that they were very knowledgeable in their field.

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

1. Their experienced IWD Team consistently provided honest and transparent feedback which we found invaluable.
2. The IWD team provided quick & timely customer support on issues that needed their immediate attention.
3. We provided IWD with a business requirement that was unique to our company's specific needs and their team brought a custom solution that has created immense value for our brand.

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

16 people worked on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Their significant Magento experience has really helped our site function within our unique business model.
• They really had the necessary expertise to implement our leadership's E-Commerce vision.

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

We have monthly meetings as well as a slack dedicated to our project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.