KDG

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of ForgeOS

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Telecom Lifecycle Management Software and Solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire KDG to accomplish?

• Build a internal and customer-facing web application

SOLUTION

How did you find KDG?

Online Search

Why did you select KDG over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from KDG were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We help technical advisors procure, manage, and support their mid-market and enterprise clients' telecommunications services. We tasked KDG with building a customer-facing web application which has become the backbone of our business. Deliverables included standing up the GCP infrastructure, custom software development on a module-by-module basis, application testing, and further support and maintenance to bring the application to a more enterprise-level.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Reduced manual data entry time, reduced "swivel chair" between various platforms, and increased partner and customer engagement

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

KDG has very strong project management. Their team is organized, communicative, and highly aware of all the project's moving parts. Parts of the project are occasionally underestimated, but that has improved over time. 

What was your primary form of communication with KDG?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their desire to learn more about how our business functions to better serve us and their ability to hire strong talent

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

KDG has continually improved how they manage their team and work together. Some issues have occured as our project has scaled, but they always handle any problems in a professional and communicative way. In our 7+ year relationship working together, both of our organizations have significantly grown.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Vice President | General Manager of a business services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Managed services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire KDG to accomplish?

• Custom CRM Development and Implementation

SOLUTION

How did you find KDG?

Online Search

Why did you select KDG over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from KDG were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

KDG completed customization and automation work for Zoho CRM. This included integrations across the suite of Zoho applications that allowed them to interact and share data to facilitate a streamlined process from identifying leads to onboarding new clients.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Zoho CRM functions as we envisioned at the start of our project, enabling our company to more effecitvely pursue new business.

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

KDG's transparent project management style was great. Communication was open and clear, and we had access to a Project portal that gave us insight into how work was progressing. Regular meetings, meeting notes, weekly summaries, and budget updates ensured we always knew the status of our project from all angles. KDG also met their estimated timelines, which helped us with effective planning for our business.

What was your primary form of communication with KDG?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

KDG's approach to working with clients is truly what sets them apart from their competition. They do a great job of understanding your business, your goals, and where they fit into your business' success.

You hire KDG because of their capabilities, but you continue to work with them for any new project because their approach to tailoring their work to your business is unique.

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

I can't say I would ask KDG to do anything differently. Their whole approach is designed to ensure client success and satisfaction, and it's very effective process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing & Communications Coordinator of a consulting company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide benefits consulting to organizations of all sizes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire KDG to accomplish?

• Aesthetic and functional upgrades to our existing website.

SOLUTION

How did you find KDG?

Client

Why did you select KDG over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

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

• Lead Capture and Conversion
• Validation of Company and Quality
• User Flow Improvement
• Organization of Sections

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're seeing marked improvement in terms of traffic week to week, as well as significant content updates.

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

KDG's project management has been stellar. Everything is clearly communicated at all times and all deliverables are on time. Their overall communication is outstanding, including budget updates, timing, prioritization, etc.

What was your primary form of communication with KDG?

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

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

The most impressive aspect of KDG's work has been their ability to effectively communicate at all times and be accommodating as business needs changed on our end. No matter what curveball was thrown at them, they were agile enough to pivot and do whatever was asked in a timely and professional manner. In a day and age when communication is lacking, KDG's communication is exceptional!

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

I would not change a thing about the way KDG has gone about their business with this project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing of a basement waterproofing company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We specialize in basement waterproofing, crawl space repair, and foundation repair to protect homes from water damage and structural issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire KDG to accomplish?

• Paper to digital for data centralization
• Improve analytical capabilities
• Real-time updates and data access between remote teams and office

SOLUTION

How did you find KDG?

Online Search

Why did you select KDG over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from KDG were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Create a way for a remote sales team to enter data that can be used for analytics and creating contracts through an approval process. All schedule appointments are passed to a calendar for quick reference.
• Contracts can be produced in person or later at the office. A signature can be attained in person or online.
• The same data entered by the remote sales teams can be used to create work orders for installers.
• The same data can be archived for reference when used to Recon a customer.
• Service calls can be entered into the CRM, allowing data for printing, remote tablet data form for the service tech, and scheduled services to be passed to a calendar.
• The same goes for the installers. A quick reference calendar is active. This is a work in progress.
• Currently, we are integrating an accounting and inventory module.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Refining workflow between the CRM and the remote tablet data entry.
  • Like many service companies, our company workflow has many moving parts. The workflow cannot remain strict, and many customers and vendors change their minds near the end of a process. We also have some inherited workflows that work well. These workflows are unattainable unless we customize them into best practices and routines.

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

Yes. The project management at KDG is very responsive and timely.

What was your primary form of communication with KDG?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very forthright, truthful, and flexible. It is rare to find all three in one company.

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

In some rare instances, when part of the workflow is fixed and doesn't work later, the second attempt to fix it should not be included in the hours. Sometimes, this fix-and-break thing would occur after implementing a new process, and I understand there is a balancing act to get it right, but sometimes it was something that can't be related to anything. The repair should be on their time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner/Dentist of DICE Dental

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a dental office

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire KDG to accomplish?

• Marketing
• SEO
• Generating patients

SOLUTION

How did you find KDG?

Referral

Why did you select KDG over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from KDG were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

KDG built my website for my dental office and it's absolutely beautiful. They then got my de novo practice ranking high on google and did a marvelous job writing blog posts, social media content, responding to reviews, and keeping me updated on their progress. They worked with our office to get new patients in the office with a nice flow and were always willing to adjust their gameplan based on live feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Patients in the chair which is most important for us!

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

YES! Keri is the fastest and most thorough responder perhaps on the PLANET! I'm always amazed by her speed, thoughtfulness, and understanding of her product / creative solutions to problems I had.

What was your primary form of communication with KDG?

Email or Messaging App

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

They made me feel like they really cared about outcomes, and my practice wasn't just a number to them. Felt very personal which I loved.

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

I didn't always understand the monthly reporting, but Keri always offered to break them down for me on the phone - so that was more laziness on my part than KDG's problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of SAGE Program Underwriters, an insurance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We hired them for their accounting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KDG provides us with a variety of accounting services. They help us with our cash flow statements, budget analysis, forecasting, and other financial tasks. They execute the work using QuickBooks and some of our other internal systems that are insurance-related. 

Initially, KDG spent time understanding our business before proceeding with the work.

What is the team composition?

We work with various people from their team, including a business development specialist.

How did you come to work with KDG?

My wife’s company had worked with KDG in the past, and she happily recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with KDG in September 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KDG has really helped improve our internal efficiency as a business. They’ve also built processes that have allowed us to put our financial house in order.

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

They always meet our deadlines and stay within budget. They also have great communication skills and are very adaptable and responsible — when something needs to be changed, they change it. We mainly interact via email, Microsoft Teams, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stands out about KDG is their ability to meet our needs; they’ve been able to handle everything we’ve asked them to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that KDG could improve on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure to explain your needs clearly and be open to trying out different ways to execute your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the member experience manager at a financial services company. We create checklists, flowcharts, and summary guides for financial advisors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG?

We were growing as a company, but our website was not keeping our pace, so we wanted to improve its UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KDG has been doing UX design for us. We started by breaking down our business areas and priorities for what UX we wanted them to tackle. We initiated with our member section by giving them access to our membership section so they could understand the platform's experience. Consequently, they put together a list of suggestions and feedback to start building wireframes and other designs, which they're currently implementing.

Regarding technologies, they've been using Adobe XD

What is the team composition?

We've been working with two members of their team, including Kalyn (Team Lead Design) and an associate UI/UX designer.

How did you come to work with KDG?

I found them online, and after doing some research on other providers, we chose KDG based on our initial meetings with them.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We pay them a monthly retainer, but overall, we've spent around $24,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve provided everything we needed to make the project a reality, including ease of working with our developers. Their team has also helped reduce stress through their knowledge and expertise on what we were working on. 

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly email updates on their work and the project’s budget to ensure we’re aware of where we are. In addition, they’ve never missed a deadline and are open to having phone calls with us to review any feedback — they’re a very responsive team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can give their team a concept of what we want, and they can turn that idea into something tangible, which is something that we don’t have internally. Kalyn, especially, gets what we want immediately, so we don’t need to have back-and-forth conversations on the same topic — they’re very efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We already gave them feedback on their billing ways, and they changed their processes immediately based on our input. After that, I don’t think they can improve anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure to have a clear understanding of your objectives as a business, which is important to pass to the designers to enable them to understand your business and create something that matches your company’s culture.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a pool construction and cleaning business with ~30 team members, based in South Florida. While offer multiple services, the company and accounting structure is not complicated.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KDG?

We sought experts to help us migrate our business systems to the Zoho platform. We began with migrating QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. Both Account Services and Development/Migration Services from KDG were engaged for this project.

SOLUTION

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

We were compelled to choose a consulting firm that could manage every aspect of our systems migration, including custom app building, process implementation and accounting services. The Sales Rep. assured me that the project was aligned with KDG’s core competencies and that we could move quickly. We were told KDG was highly adept at using software to reduce billable hours and increase efficiency. The positive reviews posted on Clutch were also a factor in helping us decide.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The takeaway is that we were charged $20,228 for what can only be described as a 'laughable' finished product. Full details below:

• Step 1 was to migrate from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. We engaged KDG at the end of May but were assured our migration target date of 6/30/2022 was achievable. However, with 5 days before the due date, no meaningful work had been complete. We agreed to postpone the migration date to 8/31 to get the migration ‘right’.
  After TRIPPLING our quoted budget, KDG explained that the system was close to done but that they needed additional time. We reluctantly agreed and kept them engaged as it was too late to change consultants. Again, with days to go before the second targeted migration date, the only work KDG could show us was a complete mess. We were shocked at how bad and WRONG the information was.
  Anyone would have realized this had it been looked at by a supervisor (a recurring issue which plagued the project throughout its life). Only after we complained about the disaster did real work begin. It took +75 hours for the project to begin to come together. Even then, error after error, after error, after error… were found.
• KDG’s most detailed and comprehensive work from came from their weekly invoice summaries for which they’ll bill you just for writing.
• Step 2 was to integrate Zoho CRM, but the project was terminated by us before getting there.
• Step 3 was to build a custom app in Zoho Creator, but the project was terminated by us before getting there.

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

After unnecessarily having a team of 7 on the first call (which they billed us for), we ended up interacting with ~2-3 people on a regular basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were charged $20,228 for a joke of a finished product and waste of 3 month of our time. We finished 4x higher than our initial quoted price. Our engagement was terminated after our first of three projects. Termination was due to the poor performance and sloppy work product we received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

• Despite using email and Zoho Projects, time and time again, the team used outdated files and missed clear instructions.
• The process was only effective for KDG to rack up billable hours.

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

Everything on which we were sold about KDG was never displayed. Their use of software to operate efficiently was non-existent. Additionally, the project received no useful resources until a week before the project end date.

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

In short, KDG's billing practices are egregious to say the least. Additionally, the work always returned to us with blatant errors. The full list of areas of improvement is too long to fit here.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on October 26, 2022.

At KDG we place a high value on client privacy and will not publicly disclose any information relating to current or previous clients. This review is especially startling to us because it does not accurately reflect the work that was completed, the circumstances of the client, or any of the related correspondence. We place a high value on accountability. If we ever make a mistake (and we’re not invincible) we own it, hard stop.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of operations at AIM Equipment Company. I oversee the order fulfillment team, customer support team, and systems maintenance team. I also drive business development and culture as a part of the leadership team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Originally, we hired KDG to help us migrate our accounting information from Quickbooks to Zoho Books. They did a fantastic job with assisting us in the migration and set-up of Zoho Books to streamline our accounting activities. We had some issues balancing our books and inventory in Zoho Books as well as assistance needed for creating a budget, so we reached back out for assistance using Accounting Services. They assisted us with adjusting our inventory, closing our books, and have helped with budgeting for the future.

SOLUTION

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

Initially, we searched online, received various quotations from service providers, and we felt as though KDG had the right level of service along with their expertise to work with us addressing our needs.

Describe the engagement and overall scope of work in detail, including the stages of the partnership and any software or documents used.

We initially met to discuss the objectives of working together and if there was a good fit for both of our companies. Since they had already helped us with setting up Zoho Books, we felt comfortable with their ability to assist us with balancing our 2021 books and fixing our system inventory issues so as not to incorrectly impact our journals. Through the process, they were able to teach us how to better categorize our expenses and address other questions/issues we had since we made the switch from Quickbooks to Zoho Books.

Describe their billing or cost structure.

We have a flat-rate monthly bill that covers the scope of our services. In the past we have also paid an up front lump-sum amount for the project to be completed.

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

For the scope of the project, we work with three individuals: Beth (Lead Accounting Consultant), Zac (Associate Accountant), and Steve (Project Lead).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the engagement or general feedback about the services?

KDG has helped us with closing our 2021 books, addressing our system inventory issues, and training our team according to our needs to our expectations. We have been working toward completing our budget and forecasting, and we feel like we have a team who cares for our business development.

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

KDG utilizes Zoho Projects as the primary tool for tracking tasks and communicating updates through the scope of the project. They provide a weekly summary update of their previous weeks activities. A refreshing change from other consultants we have worked with who struggle with project management and communication. We do not have to worry that we are forgotten, even as a smaller business in their portfolio.

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

They have met our expectations throughout our entire time of working together. To that point, they have sought feedback on a weekly basis to ensure that their work is to our expectations with every weekly review we provide being matched with a donation to the charity of the KDG team members' choosing. I love seeing their authentic desire to provide a great service married with altruism.

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

As of right now, there are no areas for improvement that we can offer. We are happy with our service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of a commercial flooring cooperative of approximately 180 contractors. We work on behalf of our members for training, collecting rebates, and similar things. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KDG? 

We wanted to implement a new CRM system that had custom programming features. To do that, we engaged KDG.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team did preliminary work and decided to use Zoho as our new CRM. It would serve as a database of all of our members while also keeping track of our vendors. 

For custom-coded features, we wanted the system to keep track of vendor purchases. KDG did the programming tasks for that and came up with custom reports. The team also created a separate database in which we tracked all member purchases. 

At present, we’re still doing some development work around new reports and features. The Zoho platform has a lot of capabilities, and we’re using KDG to get deeper into it. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager and a couple of programmers. Our team has also interfaced with one of their accounting specialists because we’ve also migrated to their accounting software.  

How did you come to work with KDG?

KDG was an authorized Zoho dealer, so we contacted them and had a few phone calls to explain what we wanted to do. We eventually visited their site and came up with an agreement. From there, we started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KDG has helped us successfully transition to a new CRM system. As a result, we’re no longer reliant on the old systems we’ve used before; we’ve migrated from three distinct platforms to one CRM system that also houses our database. The new system gives us unlimited access to our data while also creating reports as we go. Overall, the new system has been a timesaver in terms of CRM and database functionality. 

Hiring them to help us transition to the new platform has definitely been a worthy investment. In fact, we’ve had a much easier transition process than expected — we got off the old system after only two months. In other words, our transition has been expedited and successful because of KDG’s help. 

How did KDG perform from a project management standpoint?

KDG has a ticketing system, and their resources are available whenever we have questions. Everything is documented, and we can look at the documentation all the time. We also get weekly updates from them regarding the tasks that need to be completed and their hours and budgets. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their services are highly comprehensive. Because of their documentation of the project and the issues we’ve faced, it’s been easy to keep track of everything. In the few instances where we’ve had emergencies, the team has been available for phone calls. We also typically work things out immediately, and we’re truly happy with that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because KDG doesn’t fully know our industry, we have to make sure they understand what we’re trying to do. While they have a general database knowledge, we have to ensure that they truly understand the specifics of our industry. 

To be fair, since we’ve been working with them for a couple of years now, they already have an understanding of our industry. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

KDG gives you a complete scope of work when you engage them. As a result, make sure you know what you want before going into the project. If you have a defined scope of work ahead of time, you can save time and money in the long run. 

In our engagement, our transition time to the new system has worked out better than we expected because we’ve defined our scope well. The KDG team has told us to come up with a scope ahead of time, and that has allowed them to make a budget and a timeline. They’ve stuck to the plan, and everything has worked out well for us.