MaxMedia

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a municipal utility company that provides electric and fiber optic services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

We wanted to deliver information about our business to people who pass our building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with MaxMedia to develop an interactive video display that provided information about our smart solar grids and many other services. We initially gave them direction and information about the content, and then we collaborated with them to develop the concept.

MaxMedia handled the execution and delivered about six segments of one-minute or minute-and-a-half animated videos. Additionally, there was some footage integrated, and the team developed graphics and did the production in the studio.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–5 of them, but we mainly interact with one of their principals, a designer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

We first searched on Google for companies in the space, and then we spoke with people in the industry to get recommendations. We put out a scope of work for the technology we wanted to implement, and MaxMedia was one of the three finalists. In the end, we selected them based on their initial conceptual design for the interactive windows and their portfolio of previous projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and our relationship is ongoing. We periodically work with them to add new segments.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They accomplished what we’d hoped. We don’t have numerical metrics, but we received very positive social media and verbal responses to out seasonal winter display.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

They do an outstanding job. We have a running list and communicate back and forth for the deliverables and timeframes. Overall, MaxMedia’s team stays on top of everything.

We’ve used Teams and emails for communication. In the last two years, we’ve mostly been doing video calls, but we also use phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce outstanding creatives that straightforwardly deliver complicated messages. Moreover, they do it on time and within budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want to achieve and what content you’ll need for the messaging so MaxMedia can do the most for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

NDT Global is a pipeline inline inspection company. I am the Global Marketing Manager for the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired MaxMedia to redesign our website in tandem with our company rebranding. Our main goal is to increase sales qualified leads coming through the website. Other goals included the ability for users to access relevant information quickly and to provide multiple user paths based on personas.

SOLUTION

How did you select MaxMedia and what were the deciding factors?

I specifically selected MaxMedia because I worked with Don Berg on a previous redesign of bakerhughes.com. I knew I could trust his organization and that our end product would be exceptional.

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

SCOPE OF WORK NDT Global’s main objective is to have a visually beautiful, cutting edge, and clean website, with an interactive user experience that is optimized to find content easily, differentiate NDT Global from competitors quickly, and conveniently contact them. The website will be implemented on a content management system (CMS) to allow NDT Global employees to create pages, modify, and add content (blogs, whitepapers, videos, etc.).

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES The activities below will be performed to ensure the successful delivery of the work for this engagement: - User Experience & Design - We will develop a meaningful user experience (UX) and visual design that will be combined to build a new website to replace the current content found at: https://www.ndt-global.com. Key Activities & Deliverables, Wireframes – Wireframes will be created to convey page structure and content requirements of a unique template; annotations include intended functionality for each feature, and content needs for text, imagery, video, links, etc. Design Templates – Visual look & feel design for the new website.

Creation of custom design templates based on the approved wireframes. Development MaxMedia will develop the website defined by approved deliverables from the User Experience & Design stage. MaxMedia, 2160 Hills Ave NW - Bldg A, Atlanta, GA 30318 | 404.564.0063 | maxmedia.com Key Activities & Deliverables Website templates Asset optimization will be performed as needed Quality Assurance (QA) will be conducted throughout by the MaxMedia team User Acceptance Testing (UAT) - Client will provide 1-2 users to participate in final User Acceptance Testing with MaxMedia. Contentful was selected as our CMS.

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

- Don Berg - President - Jennifer Duncanson - project manager - Travis Warlick - lead developer - Gabby Hope - UI/UX - JD Jordan and Greg Vagen - Design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had a ton of positive feedback for the design and user experience. We heavily promoted the new brand and website and received a 361% increase in users, 397% increase in new users, 251% increase in sessions, and 162% increase in pageviews.

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

Depending on where we were in the project, we would meet bi-weekly, weekly, or several times a week. Jennifer was extremely communicative and on top of the project through it's entirety. We communicated via email, Skype for meetings, and via Marker IO.

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

Their commitment to excellence was impressive in the workflow. They were originally using a third-party overseas for development but did not find their work as acceptable to their standards and took over development in house. The cards were a bit stacked against them, having to readjust their schedules to develop the site in house, but still managed to deliver in the timeframe we requested.

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

The project ran pretty smoothly considering outside factors that had nothing to do with MaxMedia. This project experienced additional stressors in that the new branding was literally being developed in tandem with the site, which I have advised to my superiors against in the start. I think more time could have been spent on training, as it took us a bit of practice to understand how everything fit together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of the in-store experience for a home improvement retail chain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

We needed MaxMedia to help us design and measure innovative in-store experiences for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MaxMedia created digital content solutions for us that we ended up putting up in our stores. In addition, they helped us with camera analytics, as well as in-store engagement analytics.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with 5-7 people on their team. It was a journey in terms of the strategy sessions, where we first met with some of their creative members and their managers. Then, we moved into the development phase, and we worked with some of their senior technical members. Finally, we worked with their implementation and execution team. They used some tools on their side to produce and deliver reports for us. However, the people we worked the most with were the senior manager or director VP level, who stayed in touch with us throughout the course of the project, wrapping up with the measurement team.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

I don’t exactly recall how we came up to work with them, but I know it made a big difference that we're both based in Atlanta, and our offices were not that far apart from each other. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2016, and we wrapped it up in April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work MaxMedia did was eye-opening. We had never seen empirical evidence around in-store experiences in a working-not-working engagement. Their design and development of some digital solutions stood out. Moreover, from a measurement perspective, MaxMedia brought a lot of leadership into the project. They were able to present analytical data clearly and creatively, and their strategy was highly qualified.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team did well. We communicated through email, and in later parts of the project, they would deliver monthly reports for us. They were responsive to make changes and additional data. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

MaxMedia was friendly and smart. Many firms can do design work and be creative, but the way they also delivered measurements and analytics made them definitely excel. Moreover, they were wonderfully creative. Their team was always looking for ways in which they could shake things up from a different perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their biggest improvement opportunity was on the execution side. Sometimes, there was an intention to build certain features unsuccessfully, which is why I think, in general, some full-service agencies probably could cover A to Z, but there are some aspects they’re light on. I understand any firm is trying to win a deal, but I think that certain parts were thin from a capability perspective, as we learned in the project. 

It’s important to acknowledge there are certain things a firm can be good at and others that are thin, and just be honest about that. Nevertheless, with MaxMedia, we made it through, and it ended well.

Any advice for potential customers?

MaxMedia could be a viable choice for a creative team. Clients should be cognizant of their prices.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a producer at a small video game studio. In addition to producing, I’m responsible for managing our team’s day-to-day responsibilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

For an upcoming game release, we needed a public-facing web portal to allow the players to communicate with one another, participate in forums, and share game-related art. We didn’t have the bandwidth to put this together ourselves, so we turned to MaxMedia.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our tech engineer wrote up requirements for the portal and prepared a list of a few software packages we’d need. After familiarizing themselves with our needs, they built the portal from scratch using NodeBB as well as other services. As a part of this process, they created the UI/UX design and worked with our team to connect the game and the portal. One of the more unique features of the solution is that it allows players to share game-related art.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Don (Executive VP). We had four to five people in total working with us throughout the project.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

Our tech engineer was a member of a regional gaming community that had a Discord channel. When we were looking for a business to build the portal, he suggested I publicize the opportunity in the channel. That’s how we connected with MaxMedia initially. We had a couple of quotes from other firms, but we ultimately went with them because of their connection to the gaming community and their solid design work. I could tell it would be easy to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $35,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2020. The first phase of the project is complete, but we’re looking forward to ramping up our engagement again in the near future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been reviewing the solution internally throughout the development process. One of our major milestones was having the portal integrated and ready to use at a conference. This deadline forced us to complete a lot of work in a short amount of time, but we were successful thanks to MaxMedia.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s all gone pretty well. We’ve held weekly meetings in Google Meet to help everyone touch base. Outside of these meetings, our teams would communicate via Slack. Their project manager shared their internal Trello board with us so we could track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to meet tough deadlines stands out. Their entire team is very talented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some miscommunications related to the scope of work that required some changes to the budget partway through the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you break down your entire scope of work at the beginning of your engagement so you don’t have to allocate further funding later on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Driven Brands, Inc. is the country’s largest automotive franchise or overseeing some well-known brands including Meineike Car Care Centers, Take 5 Oil Change, and Maaco - our top three flagship brands. I was the director of digital customer experience and I was overseeing the frontend experience of our web properties for the entire portfolio of brands. I also worked on a number of customer experience initiatives to drive and convert incremental traffic through those websites. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

We launched an MVP of a digital estimating tool to try to increase the volume of leads we’re able to drive to our maker franchisees. Going back to 2019,  we launched an online estimating tool for Maaco and as it started to gain additional traffic, we sought out MaxMedia to help us beef up the capabilities and overall usability of the tool. We also hired them to make it more seamless and interactive to try to increase our conversion that goes through the online estimator. The tool was embedded on our website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The key features of the tool were to provide a quick and rough estimate to our customers, whereas traditionally process for complex paint jobs and automotive body repair needs scheduling appointments. That typically takes days, if not weeks ahead of time, and customers also potentially deal with leaving their car for hours or days on end just to receive an estimate. 

The goal of the digital estimating tool was to put much more of the frontend experience to our consumers and allow them to access price estimating ranges based on the make model of their car, self-described paintings, chips, scratches, and more. As a result, it could provide leads back to our franchisees so they could start making outbound calls to customers and hopefully, convert them to come to visit the shop and transact those services and repairs. 

The tool was already live and active on our website before MaxMedia came on board, but they helped us launched the second version of our tool. When they finished the initial sprint, we continued to engage with them during the summer for some additional enhancements and features that we wanted to add to the tool. It was a multi-phase collaboration. 

What is the team composition?

We work with an account lead, a couple of developers, and a larger team of 4–6 customer experience, designers, and more. 

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

They were highly referred to by other people we worked with. I initially found them in late 2019 for a project we were starting to scope on other brands. However, as our priorities shifted during COVID-19, we reached out to them for Maaco online estimating product.

They had impressive capabilities and were flexible to take on a different challenge than one we had initially started the conversation for. They really impressed me and our team with their offerings. Above all, they were quick to respond to the task at hand. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent $60,000–$80,000 for the initial sprint. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As we analyzed the effectiveness of the tool, we looked at the results our franchisees we were receiving in terms of cars coming to their shops and that they used the tool. Within a pretty quick timeframe, we were able to see that the online estimator was not only driving purely incremental cars and sales to our shops but also accomplishing it in an increasingly complex and difficult global pandemic environment. We saw positive results in terms of topline sales and car counts, and we were extremely impressed with what MaxMedia was able to help us achieve in just a matter of a couple of months. 

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great project management job. We worked with Steve (Project Manager) daily. He was extremely responsive and collaborative. He was never slow in picking up the phone or responding to emails. I think we went through a number of challenges at them and despite that, they were extremely nimble, quick to adapt, and really helped us keep our feet to the fire in terms of tight timelines and objectives we were looking to achieve. They also presented us with a few tools that they use internally and we were able to adapt to those very quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took on the challenges of our project despite COVID-19 and they also worked remotely on such a large project and in a quick sprint frame. Their willingness to achieve results on the timeline we had set was really outstanding. I’m sure they would’ve loved to develop our tool from scratch, but their ability to dove right into our half-baked tool was amazing. MaxMedia even learned new systems in order to dramatically enhance our tool. We were extremely impressed with their ability and commitment. They were really a good partner to us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few bumps in the road that we faced in terms of compromises we had to make from a business perspective, to keep our franchisee base and customer retention strategies active and working. I think there were some times where MaxMedia was a little slow or hesitant to pick up on some of those pressing business challenges. However, eventually, we got to those points and they were willing to compromise on some of the design elements and experienced features that they otherwise would have taken another direction. Overall, there were healthy debates in terms of rolling out this tool. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear view of the objectives and goals you’re looking to achieve. Make sure that they are as solidified as possible. MaxMedia can take the ball and run with it at full speed. Their team is extremely capable, and they’ve really taken us with a lot of cool features and ideas that we didn’t consider. Most of all, communicate well with MaxMedia

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a social commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

We needed help with marketing and branding for a third-party client in the Caribbean. We wanted it to be a long-lasting brand that was professional and had the opportunity to grow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had strategy sessions with our client in Atlanta. Then, the MaxMedia team flew down to The Bahamas, to tour the area and learn more about the users. From there, we moved to branding and design. They provided a full brand key, including logos, colors, fonts, ads, and pictures. It helped us solidify a solid look and feel.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 5–6 people from their team, including their CEO, a graphic artist, and a business analyst.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

I’m friends with their CEO, and I felt they would be uniquely qualified to help.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $180,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and we wrapped up in July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was extremely successful. We’ve been able to grow our client’s organization in The Bahamas, and now we’re moving to Jamaica and other areas of The Caribbean. They've helped us craft a brand that can become global.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on point and meet all of the deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and confidence really stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have a skeleton or a general framework for their project. It always helps in getting the most out of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of IT for concept development and implementation at AT&T. We were responsible for the incubation of innovative concepts and technologies within the AT&T environment and ultimately the implementation of those technologies in that environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

Our team was tasked to create something to help us understand social media for the organization. We approached MaxMedia to compile a team that consisted of designers, UI designers, graphic designers, and developers to build the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was to provide a window into what was happening in the world of social media. We wanted to look at what conversations were taking place in the marketplace. MaxMedia designed and built a network operations center for social media.

They created, for lack of a better description, a massive video game using real engine to create graphics in real-time that show information flowing into a large UI comprising AT&T’s social media footprint. As the information flowed in from Twitter, Facebook, and so on, it’d go into various areas so the people in the room could understand and take meaning from the data.

They also did quite a bit of social analytics.

What is the team composition?

There were about 10 people on the team covering project management, UI design, video game development, AWS Cloud development, and data science.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

We had worked with them previously on some digital signage development projects. I was aware of their capabilities, and they had a good reputation in town.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial development was under $500,000. Over the next year or so, it grew as we went through more iterations and it ended up being around $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement ran from April 2012–July 2013. We were live in August 2012 and went into full production in September 2012. Over the next 60 days, we did patches and updates. Then, over the next 12 months, we launched the next version of the solution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was an incredibly successful project. We received amazing feedback from leadership. This product was brand new; the company had never done anything like this before. We had leadership teams come through the center to look at and understand it. They looked at the innovative way we were visualizing the data coming in from social media.

This project essentially changed a 100-year-old telecommunication company overnight. There was a certain occurrence that happened after its launch that blew everybody away at the leadership level. It was incredible to see that happen.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams worked together implementing an agile methodology. We had an on-site project management team so communication came through that. MaxMedia’s team was on-site doing development within our organization and at their facility. There were weekly meetings where we reviewed progress.

We also had a certified scrum master. He did an incredible job from a development and project management perspective. Communication was never an issue. The MaxMedia team kept us on board as well as kept the deliverables and requirements reasonable. We delivered the first implementation ahead of schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to do the things that hadn’t been done before. The product had never been done before. That was scary and there was the risk of failure but it was a massive success.

The MaxMedia team implemented the solution in a very difficult environment that was very strict.  The solution couldn’t go down, it had to have a certain level of quality, it needed to have strong security around it — it had to have all of these things and more. They were innovators who excelled in the discovery process, implementation, and operation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get to know the team. MaxMedia is a great organization. They’re small and nimble. Push them, and they’ll respond.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former lead senior manager of digital retail executions at AT&T. I’ve since retired.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Max Media?

We wanted to engage our consumers through visual media and create effective messaging about some of our more complex products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, we did multiple projects with them. They created signage for our stores as well as interactive displays. They made a touchscreen display to help promote our new TV service. They primarily focused on the retail environment. 

They also did some internal work, including making training videos for our staff. 

What is the team composition?

We had an extended team of creatives, producers, developers, coders and project management. We were one of their larger accounts and we worked together for many years, so I interacted with numerous people. 

How did you come to work with Max Media?

I believe we first heard about them through a cold call from one of their salespeople. Their team continued to evolve with us which is why we stayed with them for so long. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over 5 million dollars.  

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them on an ongoing basis from 2012–2018. We worked with them prior to that, but the work exponentially increased in 2012 with the launch of our new retail flagship store in Chicago. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The retail digital space is a difficult execution to measure. However, we did several trials with store tracking technologies, looked at sales data over time, and documented anecdotal feedback from our retail employees. I think that the creative we worked on with them positively contributed to the overall customer experience in-store. We were really happy with the work they did which is why we continued to engage them.

How did Max Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was one of their strengths. We often had multiple iterations of one product and there was a significant amount of work, but their account management was excellent. I never felt concerned about their ability to meet deadlines. Their project management is terrific. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They made my job easier. It was a challenge to keep up as our brand as constantly evolving, but they were proactive in presenting various interpretations of the new brand guidelines. They were excellent thought partners as well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

All agencies have areas they can improve in, but it’s hard for me to think of anything they could’ve done differently. They were a pleasure to work with. 

In the early years, there was some turnover, and it would’ve been nice to have more consistency, but that was a minor issue. We didn’t have problems adjusting to those changes as they always attracted talented employees.

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be as clear and concise as possible in your creative brief. Give them the best tools possible to execute their work. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of software development at a communications technology company. My division does cloud software, especially e-sales for cloud services. We’re developing a sales portal that allows consumers to buy cloud services for parts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

We had a version of our sales website, but we had outgrown it. We were developing a new version but realized we need professionals to help us figure out how to make it as usable as possible. To go to the next level, we needed to focus on the UI and engage with MaxMedia. There was a short time period, about two months, that led to an extremely tight timeframe.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MaxMedia developed our sales portal using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. The portal has a function that allows a user to browse the services that are available and then choose from our parts catalog. Then the portal puts together a quote. The MaxMedia team built several screens worth of information for a typical quote.

The goal was to present all the information in an intuitive way in a single quote to make sure the user knew what they were buying before they placed the final order. The end-users aren’t the ones logging it, dealers order on behalf of the customer, so that added extra complexities to the design.

The deliverables were two full web pages with multiple tabs for examples on how to use the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that MaxMedia delivered for us. In addition, they gave us the raw resources of that HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. That is what our team will move forward with to build the actual product.

The final portal is comprised of web pages that work on both desktop and mobile browsers. They also gave us a 20-page PDF style document that had about 40 screenshots and annotations. The document recommends how the screens should be laid out. We wanted a reference implementation using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was our project manager. The team was comprised of 1–2 developers, a technical architect, UI designer, UX designer, and a design director. They weren’t assigned to us full-time, but they were all engaged in one form or another.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

I went through internal references within our company. We had done work with MaxMedia about five years ago and were happy with the work they did back then. I talked to the directors who worked with them, and they had nothing but good things to say.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested in the range of $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were happy with what they delivered. I’ve worked with other UI/UX contractors in the past, but this engagement yielded the fastest results. I don’t have any complaints about the screens. The MaxMedia team has good technical and artistic talent, and those two aspects are coordinated. They had a lot of creative ideas that worked, and that’s what we were looking for.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

They used an agile scrum process and that really fit in with what we were doing. They structured the project as three two-week sprints and an initial discovery sprint that lasted one week. This helped keep us informed because we had mid- and end-sprint meetings.

Between those meetings, they also engaged with us to understand the requirements. We didn’t have any written requirements, we verbally explained and used screen-sharing to communicate what we were looking for. They did an amazing job of picking up on that and had a good intuition for what we were looking for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take the agile methodology to heart. Their team continuously gathered requirements and improved to make sure we, as a client, were in agreement with what they were working on. There was great transparency. What’s more, their ability to quickly put a team together and take a project they knew nothing about by making sense of it and producing results was excellent. They have a lot of experience with enterprise-type software, so they were well-positioned.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Pay attention during every milestone and meeting to ensure you’re giving feedback about what you’re looking for. MaxMedia will listen to that feedback. Giving good feedback throughout the project produces a better end result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Joe Miller: AutoIMS is a small software company in the auto auction and auto remarketing industry. I’m the VP of client experience.

Shannon Meadows: I’m the manager of design and UX. Joe and I work together to coordinate marketing messages and visually inspire our users to understand how we work and what sort of role they can play by integrating with our system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?

JM: We had an outdated public-facing website and our development team was largely focused on the inventory management system that we provide for our users behind the login. Our brochure-ware, so to speak, doesn’t get a lot of attention even though our message changes. We wanted to be able to update and talk about and visualize our value proposition in new ways all the time. The website needed a newer, more modern feel, and it had to be able to be updated by less tech-savvy people. We wanted to be able to change it without having to write new code.

SM: We had a bunch of meetings with our client experience team trying to define how we wanted to express ourselves, what we wanted to put in, what imagery we wanted to use, and how best to put some complicated messaging into a very digestible, relatable form. We had 90% 0f the design figured out, but we didn’t have the expertise for someone to come in and do all the coding and advise us on best industry practices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JM: They were very flexible with us. We interviewed several different potential partners for this project and MaxMedia came with the most balanced and thoughtful approach to understanding the technical requirements. We’re used to Java and HTML as a public website, so they could manage that, but the most important thing was finding a CMS that Shannon and I would be able to use easily. They assessed our needs and identified a CMS called Contentful that we now use. It’s been very intuitive.

What is the team composition?

JM: There were 4-6 people on any given call. The project went quickly. Bear (Senior Creative Technologist) and Travis (Director of Technology & Integration) had their hands on it, Jim managed the project, and then we had a few account management folks.

How did you come to work with MaxMedia?

SM: Their website was very impressive, and they were located in Atlanta which would let us visit them at their office.

How much have you invested with them?

JM: All in, we were around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Both: We worked together from February until March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JM: We’ve been satisfied with the website itself. We’re not huge measurement people, though we are going to dive into our Google Analytics soon. We just waited to give patterns a chance to develop. In terms of using the CMS and updating everything, it’s been quite seamless.

SM: They’ve made a huge difference in the way we communicate with our clients. We have a blog now, and our digital advertising sends customers right where we want them to go instead of moving through a landing page. They’ve completely changed how we feel about advertising. It’s been a pretty great metamorphosis.

Now, we don’t have to wait for IT to change things. We can put our hands on it. Joe and I are very excited about it.

How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

JM: Our CTO called them genuine and forthcoming and said they went above and beyond for us. Where we really saw this was the hand-off process. They built the website using Shannon’s design very quickly, but there were little bugs getting us acclimated to Contentful. We knew there would be things we were unsure about but they held our hand through it all without saying anything about it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SM: I would recommend them and use them again myself if we needed something.

Are there any areas they could improve?

JM: There were a couple of bugs and unexpected things but we don’t see those as mistakes they made. They jumped on the little nit-picks in minutes.

SM: Part of the creative process is finding things that weren’t apparent at first glance.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

JM: One of the reasons we were successful is that they helped us articulate the need we were trying to solve and tried to understand that. In our conversations with our own clients, that’s the most important thing. You have to be able to articulate the issue you’re trying to solve.