Modern Signal

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a program manager at a scientific nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC. We do applied rather than experimental research in the space of agriculture, nutrition, and food systems. We bring together scientists from diverse backgrounds to discuss issues of scientific relevance, and we disseminate the results in the form of open-access papers or whitepapers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

We’ve had a database in place since 2003 that contains simple nutritional data regarding carbohydrates, proteins, and other micro- and macronutrients in agriculturally-important crops.

We wanted to revamp that database so that it would be more user-friendly and intuitive. We also wanted to implement additional visualization capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We showed Modern Signal our old website and discussed what we wanted from the new one in terms of what data it should deliver and in what form. They migrated the platform to .NET.

They will be maintaining the website and continuing to work with us.

What is the team composition?

I was the manager for this project from our side, and I worked directly with the software developers from Modern Signal.

A couple of crop composition experts were involved from our side, and we called them the ‘crop composition database working group.’ Modern Signal interacted with them to get their perspective on how the data should look and how it could be made more usable to the wide audience we had.

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

We put out the RFP in January 2019, and we assessed responses based on pricing and how the proposals were put together. We shortlisted 5–6 companies and had phone conversations with each of them. 

What really impressed me about Modern Signal was that they had three people from three areas of software expertise present during our first conversation.  Having people with different skillsets there to answer our questions signaled that they were quite interested in the project. They also had experience with nonprofits and scientific databases.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was $75,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in January 2020, and the website was launched in October of that year. We anticipated that it would be ready in the July–August timeframe, but, by IT standards, I’d say that Modern Signal was on time. The delays came because we asked them to do some additional work.

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

Users have experienced no issues with the website, and everything is working as it’s supposed to. I haven’t received any complaints. The look and feel of the website is really good, and its functionalities are vastly improved from before. The site is up to where we want it to be.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

We had phone calls and meetings with Modern Signal to redesign the platform. Every time I sent them an email, I got a response within the hour. When I asked for phone calls on very short notice, they were always available and responsive. We had a really good experience with Modern Signal, and that’s why we have an ongoing relationship. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The database is very scientific and has a lot of moving parts. Modern Signal was able to understand what crop composition is, what should go in the database’s backend, and how calculations happen. They got down to the nitty-gritty from a scientific perspective, which was very helpful and key to the project going smoothly. They understood everything we asked of them. If there was ever a question or doubt in their minds, they clarified it with us.

We had a few things in mind when we started the project, and there were a few other things that came up along the way. Whenever we asked for an additional task, Modern Signal either tried to accommodate it within the existing budget, or, if they quoted a number of additional hours, they always delivered under it. There was never an occasion where they quoted us 10 hours and it ended up taking 20.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. Generally speaking, we always say that there’s room for improvement, no matter the project or task, but Modern Signal was really good.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would definitely recommend Modern Signal to anyone that asked me about them. I’m the manager of this database, but it came to me from the previous manager. I think that the whole project would’ve gone better had I known the database better.

For new customers, I’d say that the more they know their own projects, the better they’ll be able to convey what they want and how they want it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of information technology and services for The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a trade association of home builders throughout the United States. We also have an international component and we’re made up of about 140,000 members.

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

Modern Signal was brought in to create a CMS and the association's first-ever website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Signal helped to build our proprietary CMS and our main website. Since then, they’ve created multiple websites and microsites— between 12–15. To this day, their team continues to create the website for the International Builders' Show, which is NAHB’s annual trade show. Every other year, there’s a major redesign of the buildershow.com site due to the fact that we change locations between Orlando and Vegas. When that happens, their team refreshes the entire frontend of the website.

What is the team composition?

Since I’ve been involved with Modern Signal, we’ve worked with one project manager. She’s been able to keep everything together. We’ve had two main developers and those guys have been constant. Those are the three voices that NAHB has with Modern Signal, but they’ve got a group behind them.

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

Before I came to the association, Modern Signal was already an established vendor, so the details are lost to history.

How much have you invested with them?

For 2019, we’ve spent between $100,000–$175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began before 2005 and is ongoing.

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

Their code is solid and runs. Modern Signal has built an event-based website to meet tight milestones. They’ve hit them almost all the time—I’m not a big fan of absolutes. When their team hasn’t met milestones, the reason they haven’t is shareable between us and them. Their team produces products and services on budget. I can’t ask for anything more than that. They’ve allowed me to be more efficient because I don’t have to assign staff to do what they’re doing.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re outstanding on the project management side. We’ve used JIRA to direct projects. Modern Signal’s a key component in making sure we refresh the show website on time and budget. Their team has put together project plans with us, giving us timelines. When we have statements of work with them, they hit their milestones. Their team has met deadlines at times when NAHB has contributed to compress them. For the vast majority of times, they’ve figured out a way to make it work. Easy to work with, their team has made my job easier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their code has been solid. They deliver what they say they’re going to deliver when they say they’re going to deliver it on budget. I can’t ask for any more than that. Over the years, Modern Signal's been an excellent partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The best thing Modern Signal could do is to keep doing what they’re doing for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear requirements and understand what needs to be done. Be flexible with what you want and how long it will take.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of data and evaluation at The Literacy Lab. We’re a literacy nonprofit that hires and trains about 250 tutors in six regions around the country. These tutors, who are AmeriCorps members, conduct literacy interventions for students in PreK to 5th grade.

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

The main challenge that we were trying to address with this project was launching a custom interface to house data collected from a new program of ours.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Signal created the product for us, and they’ve also helped us with our backend data warehouse that we use for our main programs. The team was able to implement pieces of this new external-facing data input within our preexisting system. They also set up an API for us through Salesforce.

They worked collaboratively with my team to create the interface design, and they wrote the HTML for what the external web interface would be. In terms of specific features, they built data tables, set up admin panels, created a log-in interface, and built other web interface tools to help us manage users. They continue to provide troubleshooting and support. The product is not very complex, and that is by design.

The product is essentially a way for us to track data from our interventions and assessments. We have different use cases, like fellows that work with students versus coaches who observe the fellows. We need both sets of users to have access to the data. The system can also generate reports that will aggregate data over time for coaching. 

What is the team composition?

Our project manager for this product was Jennifer (Project Manager, Modern Signal). We also worked with Eleanor (Owner, Modern Signal) and Adam (Principal, Modern Signal). We interfaced directly with 4–5 people during the development, but there are plenty of other folks on the team who I never communicated with.

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

We put out an RFP for the project about a year before we started working on it. We put the bid on hold, and Modern Signal was the only organization that reached out for more details. We went back and forth a bit to make sure that they understood our needs, and they gave us a detailed, honest proposal right at the beginning. 

That initial proposal was exactly what we were looking for, and it was the most economical of the other responses that we received. Many of the other submissions had elements that we didn’t need. Modern Signal was careful to list out exactly what they thought we wanted, in addition to their capabilities and their predicted timeline. 

How much have you invested with them?

For this particular project, we spent just under $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial conversation started in April 2019, and we started working on deliverables in May. The product launched in September of that year. There was some ongoing collaboration and work as users were onboarding with the system.

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

The product serves a vital programmatic need for us. This time last year, we were using a set of Google Sheets that I had connected, and, as you can imagine, that was not a well-functioning system.

So far, everyone seems to be happy with it. There were a couple of kinks to work out, but, even at launch, the system was ready to go. People are overwhelmed with how easy it is to use. I’ve also heard from a few individuals that the design is sharp. We haven’t gotten a lot of feedback, which I see as a good thing, and the reviews that we have gotten have been very positive.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was excellent. We’re very happy with their customer service. Most of the issues that we faced were from our end, but Modern Signal was always prompt, clear, and realistic about what they could get accomplished and by when. 

Even when we steered away from the project plan that we set out at the beginning, they were still able to meet every deadline. It took us a while to tailor our expectations at the beginning, but that was more of a problem from our side.

The communication was precisely the way we’d hoped it would be. They were very responsive and often got things done a few days before their official estimate. That being said, whenever we had urgent deadlines, especially towards the end, they met those.

Modern Signal is also great about troubleshooting. We’ve had relatively few issues, and once we bot everything set up, they were on it. It’s been a positive experience, and Modern Signal is incredibly easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work is excellent. They’re among the top consultants that we partner with. To be fair, we haven’t worked with other firms that provide the same services that they do, but their responsiveness and overall customer service stands out. 

The most notable thing was their ability to listen effectively. It’s reflected in the quality of the products that they create. Modern Signal took the time to understand our issues, our organization, and our needs. We just needed a simple system, and they delivered exactly what we wanted. The quality is high without having any unnecessary features. In addition to being kind, effective, supportive, they’re very affordable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

With any organization, you go through a period where you have to understand the other group’s style. We had some things to work out at the beginning, and we didn’t end up hitting the deadline that we set, but that was mostly on our end. There’s nothing structural about their business that needs to change, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. Modern Signal is efficient and has a broad range of skills. You will probably be able to use them for other projects as well. They’re a great one-stop-shop, and we plan to continue working with them. If you have technology needs, at least check them out, because they can save you time and money.

I was very glad when they asked about this. I do enjoy having the opportunity to share the great work that they've done. I would highly recommend them to other organizations, particularly non-profits that don't have the size of budgets that for-profits do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a programmer at Applied Business Services, Inc., a company that provides accounting software solutions for customers. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

We reached out to Modern Signal to develop web-based applications for different client projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Signal works on various client projects as needed, building web-based applications based on specifications provided. Most of the apps have involved e-commerce solutions, integrated with a number of APIs from our own software as well as others. They've started from scratch on some projects, and incorporated their CMS into our own templates for others.

They've also developed our internal website from scratch, using .NET and Lighthouse CMS. 

What is the team composition? 

I work with 3–4 people directly, but there may be others working on our projects in the background. 

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

One of our customers recommended them, and we've been working with them ever since based on the continuous quality of work they produce. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over $100,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around September 2005 and we continue to work with them on several projects. 

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

We receive tons of great feedback from our customers regarding the solutions Modern Signal has helped us provide. They deliver user-friendly, well-performing web apps overall.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

They're excellent communicators. We mostly stay in touch with their team via email and phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver clean code on time and within budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any project, it's important to provide detailed specifications and designs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of project integration at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

We originally hired Modern Signal to create and launch a new web tool. Since that project, the partnership has pivoted to streamlining our website and web application development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the first project, Modern Signal built a digital index with data sets and industry terms on .NET. The mobile-friendly solution targeted financial aid administrators with resources and citations. Our team had provided an RFP and their team was responsible for design, flow, and the solution’s administrative tools.

More recently, the team redesigned our website—frontend and backend—and migrated our old CMS platform to their custom .NET-based Lighthouse CMS. They also built a tool for compiling and exporting our daily newsletter. Given our smaller size, this feature acts as a compilation that we put on our website and disseminate via our e-news distributor and e-newsletter.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a couple of main project managers and a few primary developers.

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

I had worked with Modern Signal at another trade association. When my current team evaluated vendors, they were our first choice. Quality work, culture fit, and a variety of offerings were important factors. I appreciated the opportunity to continue working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Between all of our projects and standard maintenance, we’ve spent between $800,000–$1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016 and the partnership is ongoing.

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

Given our business rules, out-of-the-box solutions require too many customizations to be worth the purchase. Consequently, our team always uses Modern Signal for development because we know they’ll deliver the quality we expect. For example, we chose Modern Signal over other plug-ins and providers for a new certification management program. Since we’re upgrading our association management system in the next two years, we were concerned that no other vendor had the direct experience to handle any challenges or rework needed.  

Similarly, we went with a custom build for our online store and registration process. Modern Signal built the store from scratch and our users found it intuitive without experiencing any major issues. I’ve never seen a project—especially a registration feature—receive unanimous praise. I cannot speak more highly of them.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

The two primary project managers work differently, but both accommodate us as a high-maintenance client. We’ve struggled on our end to find a project management system that works for us because our team doesn’t have a traditional or formulaic approach. Rather, Modern Signal works with us to reprioritize items when we run into scheduling challenges. There’s fluidity in overcoming these hurdles because our relationship is incredibly strong. We communicate via a tracking system, email, phone, and web conferencing. Our teams rarely meet face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Modern Signal delivers on their promises and stays within budget. The team is also honest. For example, they recently persuaded us not to go through with a $30,000 project because the potential solution wasn’t a good investment. Most other vendors would’ve taken our money and let us realize that outcome on our own. After a series of bad experiences with partner agencies, we deeply appreciate our robust and interactive relationship with Modern Signal. The teams have frank collaborative discussions when challenges or disagreements arise. After years of working together, I completely trust them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Whenever we provide feedback, they try to make it happen and cram more work into their schedule. Modern Signal should feel empowered to tell us to back off and scale back our ask. Since none of our requests have changed the budget, they may have felt compelled to accommodate all of our stakeholders’ ideas. But we don’t need to make every idea work; there are plenty they can discard.   

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a support manager for a globally recognized anti-bribery business organization and leading provider of cost-effective third-party risk-management solutions. Our members and clients include hundreds of multinational companies headquartered worldwide. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Modern Signal?

We wanted to combine our systems into a cohesive portal and to update and modernize the interface. At the time, we had been using several web applications for different product lines, which complicated the process for our customers and internal staff. We had also outgrown our systems, which had not been updated in years.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to give our customers a better experience and simplify the ordering process across product lines. 

How did you select this vendor?

I was not involved in the project until after the vendor had been selected, but I believe we received quotes from three different companies and selected Modern Signal based on their project scope.

Describe the project in detail.

We operate in a unique industry, and the requirements are always changing. Hence, this project has been complicated from the beginning, as we have continually added features and functionality. However, Modern Signal has always responded to challenges with aplomb.

What was the team composition?

We communicate primarily with the two founder/owners of Modern Signal. They managed the team internally and pulled resources as needed, especially for specific projects that required specialization in certain areas. 

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The system’s efficiency has dramatically improved due to the decreased turnaround time. We are now able to handle large-volume orders that would have been nearly impossible using our old systems.

How effective was the project management?

Modern Signal understands our priorities and always works within our requested timelines. They meet deadlines within a week or two, and most delays have been due to additions or changes to the project scope from our side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They offer outstanding customer service and are incredibly responsive to our questions and requests. In my experience, no other vendor has come close to Modern Signal in these regards. They also provide accurate estimates and finish tasks at or under budget consistently.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

They could consider using a more formal project management process. Our projects are always delivered on time, so evidently their process is working. But, from my perspective as a client, we sometimes lose track of the bigger picture in order to focus on the most important tasks first. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of web services for a national non-profit association focusing on mental and physical disabilities. We work with universities on disseminating research on these topics. We build reports based on government regulations, which tend to change every year.

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Signal?

As the only person in charge of technology and the support of our proprietary software, I needed help in this area. At that time, our software was low-quality, and we had several unfinished projects. The developer needed to work directly with me on those tasks.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Signal helps keep our software up-to-date and bug-free, ensuring that we’re running our websites efficiently. We have a few password-protected portals, one of which is intended for collecting data for government agencies that provide grants to universities. They’ve implemented their Lighthouse content management system on a couple of our websites. We keep everything on an in-house server, so all our software is written in ColdFusion, along with Java and Ajax JavaScript. They also maintain our MySQL database. They keep us healthy in the technical sense.

Recently, they’ve implemented a portal that collects self-evaluations from university trainees and their faculties. The system can draw graphical comparisons between the beginning and end of a year. It was implemented a couple of years ago, running in beta for the first year and making actual data collections in 2017.

Since we are budget-cautious, we’ve asked them to base the designs of the reporting platform on Bootstrap templates. Based on our unique requirements, they’re usually able to tweak those templates in a way that serves our interests. We use both public-facing templates and administrative ones for our backend. In both cases, this approach has worked well for completing projects under a tight budget.

What is the team dynamic?

Throughout the years, I’ve worked with 4–5 developers from Modern Signal. I usually interact with 1 project manager, which is something I prefer because I have a development background. The development team has changed, but, because there are few people able to work with our particular technologies, I’ve requested the same people for each of our projects. They have been flexible enough to accommodate my requests, which I appreciate. It has saved time, eliminating the learning curve when the programmers implement new features, make code adjustments, or do debugging and quality control.

How did you come to work with Modern Signal?

Our relationship started 8 years ago, just after I came to the organization. At that time, we did not have a permanent vendor for software development. Initially, I approached 5 candidates, including one from Pennsylvania. I focused on small- and medium-sized companies since this type of vendor would be able to provide us the personal attention we required. A bigger company might not provide this since we are a non-profit with a tight budget.

Modern Signal came highly recommended by another non-profit that had used them for their reporting system. I gave them the project scope and received an estimate that matched mine. They fit our criteria perfectly, so we started the relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $40,000–$60,000 per year on their work. The cost was bigger in the beginning.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2010, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

In terms of coding and project management, everything seems to be working well for us. We have had exemplary performance over the years, which serves as a testimony to the quality of their work. They’ve implemented changes easily, which is important since we would look bad as an organization if we exported the wrong data.

The faculty commented on how easy it was to submit data on the self-evaluation system, as well as the flawless interaction with the initial setup. Since everything was obvious, there was no need to read the documentation we provided.

How did Modern Signal perform from a project management standpoint?

They provide outstanding project management. They’re punctual and responsive. We get monthly invoices accompanied by Excel spreadsheets of the time spent on every single request and project. We use Pivotal Tracker for all small tasks like quality control and debugging. The communication is also superb.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The fact that I’ve kept them on for 8 years is a testament to their quality. They are knowledgeable and give good suggestions. They bring the developers into the conversation at the right time and suggest other professionals who can help in certain situations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard for me to criticize them. We’ve always started with templates, so I couldn’t provide any feedback about their design capacity. If something is not up to my standards, I’d definitely look for someone else.

Please describe your organization.

I work for the National Association for Law Placement, in Washington, D.C. The people who are our members are the career services or career counseling people in law schools, and the people within law firms, government agencies, and public interest organizations that hire or recruit lawyers. So, we bring those two sides of the business together: the people who are doing the recruiting, and the people who are trying to get their students recruited.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I am the director of technology and electronic information resources. I manage our infrastructure, the network. We have a third-party consultant who does a lot of that work for us, and then I manage all of our websites.

What was your goal in working with Modern Signal?

We've had them do several different projects for us. We had been working with a development company that we did not get along with very well. Every time we asked them to do something, or every time we told them that something wasn't working correctly, this other company would tell us why it was our fault or it was a stupid idea. It was not a good working relationship. So, we decided that we were going to switch to a different development company.

Please describe the scope of their work.

The first project that we had them do for us several years ago was simply to redesign our main website. Then we have a number of other specialty directories that are our organization is known for specifically, which we had Modern Signal help with. Once we had worked with them for a while, we had them help us redesign some of those. By now, Modern Signal has actually done all of those for us. So, we have a directory of legal employers, a Canadian directory of legal employers, we have a directory of law schools and then we have sort of a combination between a directory and a job board for public interest legal jobs.

What was your process in selecting Modern Signal?

I do not remember how we found them specifically. There was a variety of reasons we selected them to do the work. We did some research, and I think I might have found Modern Signal through ASAE [American Society of Association Executives], but I really don't remember, it was so long ago. We got proposals from several organizations for what we were looking for, and Modern Signal came in very good on price.

They were easy to work with, they were easy to talk to, and they had good ideas. When we said that we wanted to do something, they'd often come back and show us how they had done the same for another of their clients. They were able to help us a lot in those ways. So, between these things, we ended up selecting them.

Can you give a sense of the cost of the work they have done for you?

We did the Canadian directory, the directory of legal employers, and the directory of law schools, and I would say each of those was probably in the $50,000 range. I don't remember the cost of the website redesign. The public service job board might have been a little bit on the higher side because it was just a little bit more involved as far as being able to make it searchable and have the employers being able to post information. There were just more fields and options.

When did you start working with Modern Signal?

We first started working with them in the summer of 2008, and the collaboration is still ongoing.

What were the results of their work?

I have to say that they have been one of the best companies that I've ever worked with. I've been dealing with websites for more than 15 years. Modern Signal has far and away been the easiest to work with, the most responsive group of people. They seem to work together really well as a team, they all get along, and they seem very collegial. I've been working with the same account person, and they've brought in a couple of additional people here and there. Everyone has worked well with me and with each other as a group.

Is there anything unique or special about Modern Signal that really makes them stand out?

One of their strongest points is just the fact that they're so responsive. I can call and tell them what I'm thinking about or what I need to happen and they will get back to me immediately with suggestions, with two or three different ways that we could accomplish whatever it is I'm trying to accomplish. Even if it's just a tech support thing, if I call them, I get a call back from them the same day. Sometimes, they can just solve the issue immediately on the phone.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I can't think of anything that I would tell them that they needed to do better or do differently.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I think this would go for any vendor you're working with, but just be very clear on what you're trying to accomplish, so that you can describe that clearly to the people you're working with.

Please describe your company.

We're a multi-disciplinary design and creative firm. We specialize in architecture, interior design, branding, and marketing as well as research, analysis, and retail brokerage. So, we design, plan, and market in real estate, hospitality, the public sector, and restaurants. Our headquarters are in Bethesda, Maryland, and we have another office in downtown Washington, D.C. We have about 130 employees.

What is your role in the company?

I'm one of the principals.

What was your goal in working with Modern Signal?

One of the many services we provide to our clients is website design and development. We use Modern Signal as a partner to help us deliver those products to our clients.

Please describe the scope of their work.

They do website design and development for our clients.

What was your process for selecting Modern Signal?

I've been working with two of Modern Signal's principals for 15 years. We used to work at another company together. When we all branched out and started our own businesses, I utilized them to handle all of my design and programming projects. So, it's been a very long relationship. Because I had worked with them before and knew their capabilities, I trusted and believed that they were the best out there.

Can you give a sense of the cost of their work?

I don't do the bookkeeping, so I don't know exactly. I would say we've spent between $50,000 and $100,000 working with Modern Signal through the years.

When did you start working with them?

We started working together in 2001, and we are still working together.

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or other feedback about their work?

Everything they've done, from their project management to their back-end programming, is excellent. They've not done design work for us for a while, as we now do that in-house, but when they did provide that service, it was excellent.

There are no metrics – only happy clients. We've done many projects with Modern Signal through the years, and we've had a seamless, wonderful working relationship with them.

Is there anything unique or special about Modern Signal that really makes them stand out?

Their custom content management development services are the things that stand out. What makes those services so good is the technology and ease of use. It's easy for us to resell their work.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

The only area for improvement is the speed in which they can get things done. Our clients are constantly pushing us to move faster and, in turn, we end up passing that pressure on to them.

Please describe your organization.

I work for a scientific nonprofit organization. Our main goal is to aid our members, which is made up of scientists who do research on biology. We run an annual meeting where we have research presentations in the field.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I do publications and communications. I was brought on actually to help launch the website. The first project we did with Modern Signal was SDB Collaborative Resources, or CORE, which is an online database of images and movies on developmental biology. So, my main responsibility was to help curate images and movies from scientists and get them on our website.

What was your goal in working with Modern Signal?

The main goal was for Modern Signal to design our database. CORE was very image intensive, and the goal was to make it very visually appealing and easy to use. We get submissions online from our membership, so it's very important that this process was easy and straightforward. We have a very large number of Mac users on Firefox and Safari, so it was very important that the site was capable of handling multiple platforms. That was our primary goal when we first came to work with Modern Signal.

Please describe the scope of their work.

They initially worked on our membership database, then website development and management. CORE was a big project. Because they did that work, it made sense to go with them for other things on our site, so it could connect to our membership database.

What was your process in selecting Modern Signal?

I think I found them online, maybe through Google. I was looking for designers, and we were getting quotes through the website for CORE. We really wanted it to be geared toward us and not just go with whatever site we could get anywhere. We wanted it to be designed around us – that was important. Modern Signal was local, so that was kind of nice. They talked to us, and we just liked how they presented themselves. So, I think the process was basically that we met them, asked for a proposal and went from there.

Can you give a sense of the cost of the initiative?

We have spent at least $20,000 on CORE, including all of the upgrades. We've probably spent a similar amount for the website.

When did you start working with Modern Signal?

We started working with them in 2011, and the relationship is ongoing.

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

I think our membership appreciates the SDB CORE site, and it's visually pleasing. The functionality of our current site is better than it was before.

Is there anything unique or special about Modern Signal that really makes them stand out?

I like that it's small and that I know whom I'm talking to, that I'm not put through several prompts on the phone. It's like they're in our office, like they are right downstairs, as far as the service they provide. I feel like, even though they're remote, they're still there.

They're great at adapting to our needs when those needs change. Last year [2014], we added a donate button to our website so that we could start getting in donations for the society, and that was a really important function to have integrated into our membership database.

So, it's the quality of their work and the fact that they're responsive to us. That's really important because our previous vendor was not responsive. Someone at Modern Signal always answers my emails and actually responds and takes care of things that come up. Just yesterday, there was an issue with Firefox and our website administration page not coming up. It was fixed overnight. So, it's great that when they see an issue, they address it right away. Their customer service is great.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Overall, they've been responsive. I think they seem to be ramped up with a lot of other business, so they kind of have to work a project in. I guess they could expand and add another developer or another person but, then again, the idea of keeping the company small was kind of nice, too.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

It's important to prepare beforehand and think about what your needs are. You can't assume that other people can read your mind, so it's really about being very explicit about all the things that you want. Modern Signal can only do what you tell them, so I think it's important that you plan things out ahead of time. Things will come up and you'll have to change some things and that's fine, but just be explicit about what you need upfront.