NEWMEDIA.COM

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT director at a design company. We do everything from dirt walls, which are modular walls to office furniture to audiovisual applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We really needed to revamp our website. Our website was an old website. There were security issues and we needed the ability to scale and upgrade effectively. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the initial phase, they determined our needs and reviewed everything step-by-step. They worked with us to plan our initial goals and design what our platform was going to be. They directed it towards the ‘why’ of our business.

After that, they set forward to create a new sustainable, and marketable WordPress website with security. They had a lot of our old backups and other things. Above all, they also did the hosting.

What is the team composition?

The people who worked with us changed quite a bit depending on who was involved, but I would say we generally worked with 4–5 people. We worked with a lead web developer, project manager, designer, and more.  

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

I did a pretty thorough search online and I looked at reviews.  Steve (CEO) was very receptive to my calls and he was always returning them. Overall, he was reachable and he spent a lot of time contacting and working through the process of initially choosing them. It felt like they were a really good, genuine, and trustworthy fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from October 2019–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was very happy with the quality of the website, especially their customer-service driven and communicative approach. I felt like they were approachable and I loved the fact that I would jump on meetings with the entire team. As a result, I felt comfortable and secured to drop that type of investment. Overall, they offered a nice package for us. 

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a great system where they communicated online and we also did a bunch of Zoom meetings. We also had phone calls.

I thought their communication was excellent and they really did a solid job when it comes to project management. I never saw communication as a challenge in our project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Trust and communication were what set them apart. Steve always did fantastic work and we always got immediate responses. Their team was genuinely interested in working with us and working through our channel and figuring out what we needed. They really hit our expectations pretty well and the entire process went as expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think they have any areas they could improve. There were some additional issues with communicating our vision and getting that right, but that was all revamped. I really don’t have any huge criticism as far as the entire process was concerned. They really handled everything well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Getting your vision cemented is really important because the more work you do upfront before engaging in any type of web design company, the better you’re going to be. They can lead you and help with creating some of that vision, but it’s incredibly helpful to get a frontend that’s established. It will help if you know what you want your website to look like, and then just use the team's skillset to frame it, complete it, and shape it up for you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of enrollment at a nonprofit, we are a tuition charging 501(c)(3) institution. I oversee revenue and marketing communications at a grade nine through 12 boarding school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We wanted to overhaul our website and create new marketing materials such as brochures. We were looking for someone to work in tandem with to build our website and execute a digital marketing strategy. We wanted a website with an updated style and functionality, as well as improved analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NEWMEDIA overhauled and developed our WordPress website. They started with strategic planning and conversation and direction around a complete website overhaul because our website was five years old. Our website is our primary marketing tool and as a tuition charging institution, we rely significantly on tuition. 

The team did an analysis of our previous website to have some benchmark statistics on the analytics. There was a lot of back and forth on the design and development of the new site.

We launched our new website in early October and in conjunction with that, they redid our marketing materials which was more of a facelift than anything else. We were happy with our branding and messaging, we just wanted to enhance the way they are presented. They assisted with the design, strategy, and functionality of the website.

We embark on the digital marketing aspect of the project and the goal is to do some baseline work but won’t start executing the digital marketing strategy until we have a great website that we want to send people to. NEWMEDIA did persona work that they were testing when they’re developing the new site.

What is the team composition?

We work primarily with 4–5 team members from NEWMEDIA, but we have interacted with more. Steve (CEO) works closely with us on both digital marketing and the website.

Adam (Senior Account Manager) is involved throughout the whole project making sure that we stay on track timeline and contract-wise, and everything’s going as he said it would. There are two project managers, a developer, and a designer.
 
How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

We put out an RFP for this project and our IT person brought NEWMEDIA’s name to the table and they ended up submitting a proposal. We did quite a bit of research on this. Just in our industry, there are two main players for website development. NEWMEDIA’s name was thrown into the hat with a number of other companies that we reviewed proposals and interviewed.

In the end, NEWMEDIA was the one that we wanted to go with because they presented the best option for a long-term partner. Otherwise, we would have been looking at someone who would develop the website and somebody else who would execute a digital marketing plan. We love the idea of keeping it all in one spot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with NEWMEDIA from April–October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

NEWMEDIA is really big on analytics. Because the website has only been live for just over a month, they’ll be presenting analytics soon. They told us that the website is performing really well in terms of page views, which is great to hear. We’ve gotten strong feedback from our constituents about the new look, feel, and functionality.

Because of COVID-19, we made an additional investment into a 3D virtual tour of our campus and that has been awesome to have. With nobody being able to travel or visit us, it’s really important to have something that would bring our campus to life. Things like that have been positively received.

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

NEWMEDIA performed really strong in terms of project management. They’re incredibly professional and communicative, and they seem to work together really well. They are very much on the same page. Adam helps keep things on track, but all of the project managers are really strong.

They utilize Basecamp as a project management platform. They’ll send over notes after every meeting, everything is documented, and they are very timely in communication. We had a little hiccup with hours allocated for the project. I would classify this as a small misunderstanding and miscommunication which resulted in us needing to purchase additional hours to finish it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

NEWMEDIA impressed us with their background knowledge, understanding of website analytics, and knowledge of the surgical side of marketing. They were really wonderful partners even through conflicts.

At this point, they feel like family. You’ll have a little disagreement and you work through it and you’re on to the next thing. It was actually in some ways nice to have that sort of conflict and they were great through that, it was resolved, and we moved on.

I appreciate how long NEWMEDIA has been in the business. They have a strong variety of clients. I love that they’ve worked with really big commercial brands and also with smaller nonprofit brands.

It was appealing to us to have somebody who would understand our industry, but also be able to bring us into the business world a little bit. Again, being able to deliver on the website and digital marketing was really appealing to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, it’s been a really wonderful experience with them, but there was a bit of a disconnect on the design concepts that they presented to us for the website which were phenomenal, strong, creative, and professional. There was a bit of contrast to the design that we were seeing on some of the digital ads.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

NEWMEDIA is definitely an expert in their field. My advice is don’t hesitate to ask questions because they’re such experts that the jargon they use can get you lost a little bit. Also, be really clear about your goals and honest about your ability to meet deadlines so that the partnership will work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Solid Stone Fabric is a wholesale and custom fabric printing company, and I handle the website and the HR department. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We already had a website, and there was not much that we could do from our end as far as SEO was concerned. 

When we approached NEWMEDIA, we wanted a more updated and modern website. It was also important for us to increase our sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the project, we had a full-day meeting at their office in Denver about what we wanted. They picked our brains about who our clients were and what they were looking for.

NEWMEDIA did everything; they created, launched, and hosted a completely new website using WooCommerce. They imported our products on the new platform. I handle SEO myself. 

What is the team composition?

In our initial meeting, there were eight people in the room. Throughout the whole project, I may have worked with everyone from different areas of their business. 

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

One of our other employees found NEWMEDIA and decided they were who we wanted to go with.

How much have you invested with them?

Our company spent a little over $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted between December 2017–August 2018. While we started talks earlier, we initially met with them in February 2017, but we held back and didn’t really proceed for a while. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In our first year, we had $15,000 in sales. This year has also been fantastic. The website allowed me to optimize our SEO and market our products, which was difficult to do with our old site. 

We didn’t necessarily have a main point of contact because there was always someone who would respond to us. I’ve never had any issues with that. 

I was able to understand the SEO process fully. The website helped us market ourselves better. It’s more user-friendly. Our customers are happier because it’s easier for them to find things. I’m responsible for a lot of these things, but overall it’s because of the website. I couldn’t have done these without it. 

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

NEWMEDIA was great; they were very organized and communicated well with us. I don’t think we ever felt we didn’t know what was going on or anything like that. 

I was happy with the communication process. We used Basecamp, and we had remote meetings.

If I had an issue in the stands today, I’d put it on Basecamp, and whoever dealt with that on their end would contact me. That was pretty much how it went throughout the development process as well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve only ever worked with one other website company. For me, the difference was just NEWMEDIA’s experience and departments responsible for different things. Their willingness to get to know the client, the client’s needs, and their customer’s needs were very impressive to me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I always hope they could be less expensive, but they’re the specialists. I can’t really think of anything that they could do differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask a lot of questions. You have to participate in the conversation and have someone keep up with everything and respond to their questions. Otherwise, nothing is going to get done. As long as you’re paying attention, responding, and participating, the project should go fine. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the e-commerce manager for a magnets manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

They helped with e-commerce development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They consulted with us on the selection of a new platform. We chose Shopify, and then they helped us develop and deliver it.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with about four people directly including a project manager, designer, developer, and account manager. There were a few additional developers assisting behind the scenes. 

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

I have an agency background, so I was familiar with a lot of agencies in my area. I found NEWMEDIA on Google and saw that they’d won several awards, so I invited them to submit a proposal. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $55,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in January 2019, and the website went live in January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reached profitability at six months in which is very fast. We’re currently operating at 48% above our target. We’re likely going engage with them for SEO to continue to grow our website performance. 

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

They gave us such good service even though we put them through the wringer. It wasn’t the easiest project because of the backend integration. However, they worked hard to make sure we got everything done. 

They mostly communicated with us through Basecamp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very agile. They have all the team right there to do whatever you need. The team knows their stuff. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication is always an area for improvement. It’s not that their communication was bad, but there were so many moving pieces, and there were times when I went a week or so without receiving an update from them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be engaged and treat it as a collaborative effort. Dig deep and ask your team tough questions to flush out what success looks like to you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the communications manager of Martin/Martin, Inc., a civil and structural engineering company. We’re headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, and we have six branch offices.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We enlisted them to create two new websites from scratch. One website was for our branch office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, because they’re their own entity. The other site was for Martin/Martin, Inc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our intention was to design both sites the same way. NEWMEDIA built the skeleton using WordPress and used it for our Wyoming office first. Then, they took the same skeleton and used it for the Martin/Martin site.

We had their team design the framework and look of the sites, then we populated them with content. The last step was launching, but it became an extensive process that was 100% on our fault. The project took two and a half years because of it.

What is the team composition?

There was a core 2–3 people we talked to daily. They also had a staff of 5–10 people who contributed and were copied on e-mails, but we didn’t directly collaborate with them. We always had one constant point of contact. Over the two and a half years, they had a turnover that caused our main representative to change.

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

We conducted a search and put out an RFP for 3–4 local website designers. After shortlisting that search down to two, we interviewed both companies in our office. NEWMEDIA was at the forefront, they were the leaders, so we selected them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested approximately $22,000 for that project. Our current project is in the neighborhood of $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with NEWMEDIA since 2016. The website project is completed, but we’re currently contracting them to do our intranet design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The amount of cold-calling contacts we’ve received because of the websites and increased SEO is exponential. We never got cold contacted before, and now we have 2–3 clients approach us weekly for projects based solely on finding our website.

The majority of our work is repeat clients, so receiving new clients who’ve never known us before is remarkable. We wouldn't have this new work were it not for NEWMEDIA's design skills. On top of that, the feedback from our employees has been 100% positive.

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. We’re a very difficult client, and that’s putting it lightly. Beyond the extensive amount of time and our need to meticulously customize, NEWMEDIA has always catered to us. In fact, they catered to us too much at one point. Their team accepted every request, and that’s why we ended up creating a website that was broken and needed a redo.

When we enlisted them for this intranet project, we clearly communicated that we needed them to act as police officers. We explained that we’re going to come at them with a million requests. If it’s too much or will cause fragility to our site, they need to stop us and say they can’t do it.

When it comes to making decisions, we’re a very slow and methodical company. Based on what they’ve been given, NEWMEDIA has done an outstanding job. We use Basecamp to communicate and track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an impressive culture of contact and accessibility. Because they’re a small company, we don’t have to deal with a whole long line of contacts in order to reach the people we need. I talk to Steve (President, NEWMEDIA) on a regular basis. They’re very accessible and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We need them to stop accepting every request and be more direct instead. Keeping the end goal in mind, we need them to be more restrictive on what they say they can do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should absolutely enlist them, but then be sure to listen to them. Let NEWMEDIA direct the process. They fully understand and know their business, and the road will be much smoother if you do that from the start.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m CEO and co-founder of a marketplace that helps hotels and resorts sell inventory that is difficult to sell by matching them with customers that are looking for the very best experiences. I have 20 years o experience in the industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NEWMEDIA?

We launched with a very basic web design but after successfully raising capital, we decided that it was time to rebuild and relaunch our marketplace. We went through a review process during which we talked to about a dozen firms and selected NEWMEDIA based on their portfolio, our discussions with them, and the confidence that we had in finding a team that we could build a long-term relationship with.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to launch and establish a brand that people identify as the first website to visit when booking a stay or trip and drive more bookings. We wanted to also significantly increase our inventory of hotel and resort offerings.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We prepared a brief of who we are and what our company does. We reviewed online and narrowed a list of potential firms down to a final five and sent requests for proposals. After two calls with each firm, we regrouped and made the decision to select NEWMEDIA. Among many criteria—familiarity with WordPress, the capability to develop custom code, experience within our industry, potential for longer term relationship, proposal depth and inclusions, price, and associated value perception—we were mostly focused on identifying a firm that could deliver what we needed within our timeline and budget.

Describe the project in detail.

After a few more calls and exchanges of information, we attended a brainstorming session/project launch in Denver with the NEWMEDIA team. Once that concluded, the remaining touch points and discussions were conducted over Basecamp and/or via telephone as well as Facebook or Skype when really needed. Their team makes great use of Basecamp, which serves as a great depository and reference for project information and communication. We were open to really just about anything, and in the end, we decided along with them to use WordPress as our platform.

What was the team composition?

We always had a project manager assigned to our project but we also had access to the entire team including Steve [Founder, NEWMEDIA] whenever needed or requested.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are receiving great feedback on the website and are signing new hotels and resorts at an improved pace. We also just landed our first Australian property.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication, primarily via Basecamp, was easy and timely. There were times when the team buckled down and focused on hitting milestones, which slightly delayed responses to questions, but it wasn’t an issue. Their team was 100% open to discussing options and different approaches and executed many fine-tuning changes for us along the way. Overall, they’re highly flexible, adaptable, and offered great feedback and suggestions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As we examined the code and the structure of the site, we were impressed with the adherence to WordPress methods and the concise organization of the underlying file system along with the code itself. We have a strong sense of confidence in what the NEWMEDIA team created for us. They also employ a multi-step methodology to ensure that their work is correct every time, and while no project is ever completely bug-free, we experienced very few and minor issues as we worked on the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The best never rest, and I'm sure NEWMEDIA will always be looking for ways to improve. As long as they continue to communicate transparently and ensure they’re on the same page with their clients, they will continue to produce amazing work!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the President and CEO of Aloha Software, a startup software company. I'm trying to launch a unique management software geared toward the multifamily and hospitality renovation market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We were looking for a large company that had experience in the field to create a unique online based software for us. We didn't have the expertise to do the project ourselves, so we wanted to find a contractor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the software in Drupal. Initially we wanted to do the WordPress version, but they volunteered to upgrade it to Drupal for a nominal fee. They were very excited about our project, which was great on the client aspect. I gave them some creative freedom to do certain things on their own, such as my marketing website. Our account manager also used to work in multifamily industry, so he was my translator in some ways and could talk to the developers who do the programming.

As we added more software, the budget was changing. They even went on hold for me at one point so that I could go back to my investors and gather more funds. We just completed the project and are ready to launch the product.

What is the team composition?

We had 1 project manager, 1 project coordinator, and 6 developers.

How did you come to work with them?

I used the Denver Business Journal (I also own a renovation company) and that was one of my biggest sources. I was looking for a prominent organization and they had the best group of people that fit the need.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2016, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software is made for 100% full automation usage by somebody else. We provide some hands-on service to get their project set up. After that, everything is automated: the system does auto scheduling, auto communication, and a lot of project management and day-to-day tasks. This allows project managers working with unit or hotel renovations, where everything is repetitive, to physically manage a project instead of doing administrative work.

We've done some trade shows and the feedback from my clients and potential clients has been extremely positive. We're excited to get to the point where we can make its true full debut.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed almost flawlessly. The software is fairly complicated, so there were times when things slowed down. Also, I did lose my project manager at one point. Steve Morris, the CEO, took over the project, and we had great communication.

They use Basecamp to help with project management, so I can easily upload files for them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very invested and enjoyed being part of the process, which for me was a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come with the clearest plan you can create yourself and talk to at least 3 companies to make sure you get the best fit. That's what I did with NEWMEDIA, and it worked very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and owner of Denver.com. It’s a local informational website for everything in Denver. It covers a lot of different verticals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NewMedia?

I wanted to find the right, local company that had the enthusiasm and excitement about helping me build my brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took over everything. I gave them full authority over the site. They ran concepts by me and I gave them input. The website is fully informational. We just wanted to get content and get people looking at it, impressions, and user interface. Eventually we want to generate content where people interact with the site. They’ve done a wonderful job at reintroducing it to the marketplace as a locally operated site. I could tell when the non-local developers were running it. It’s not boots on the ground. NewMedia is entrenched in the Denver marketplace and they were able to make it feel more local.

I don’t know if the CMS was a proprietary platform that they developed themselves or if it was something they outsourced. I wanted them to dig into different neighborhoods and the different aspects of these neighborhoods like the restaurants, the bars, the nightlife, and the retail so that people really felt not at a top level, but it was down at a hyper local level. Then through their own network, they were able to engage bloggers and get people to write content in regard to these hyper local neighborhoods. The site prior was more of a top level just general Denver “things to do.” 

I also told them the site has to be very dynamic and it can’t appear to be static. Every time someone goes to the site, it has to have a look, different feel, and new content for returning visitors so your bounce rate is not high and you don’t have returning visitors. I want people to come back to the site to see what new content is on there.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with Steve [CEO, NewMedia] directly. As the CEO, I was pretty impressed. He got involved in every aspect of the site. He drove the initiatives. I met a lot of his team members. My day to day contact is with Steve [CEO, NewMedia].

How did you come to work with NewMedia?

I had previous experience with another company who was doing the web development and hosting for me. It was marginal work and they were out of the state. I was more interested in finding a local company who had the vibe of Denver and what we were about. After interviewing several companies, I met Steve [CEO, NewMedia]. He explained the culture of NewMedia. He told me how they would approach the project. He told me a timeline. I felt it was a good match for what I was looking for in developing the brand.

How much have you invested with them?

They were very fair in how we proposed the structure.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the work is ongoing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I review the Google analytics to see what pages people really spend an amount of time on, impressions, unique visitors, total visitor counts, and where people go. It’s hard to tell because we’ve been barely up two months. All the feedback has been great. I get people who see and know the site and they say the site is great and they like the direction that we’re going. They say it feels more local. Everything has been very positive and I’m very high on NewMedia. These guys are young, aggressive, they listen, and they’ve executed. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen and what they’ve told me they were going to do.

They had a lot of integrity to not launch before it was ready just to appease me as the owner. They really wanted to make sure. So when they launched, they had enough content on there to make it look and feel real since it was our one chance to make our first impression. They are adding content daily.

How did NewMedia perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed great. If they tell me they’re going to do something, they do it. If there’s a delay, they communicate it. The communication has been wonderful. The effectiveness in them being able to deliver what they said they were going to deliver is great. I’m very satisfied.

What did you find most impressive about them?

So far, they’ve succeeded in making the site feel very local. Now I’m looking for the interactive side of the website. It’s one thing to gather content and put it up on the web for people to see, but we want to make it interactive. We want people who are looking for something to do to go to Denver.com to see what’s going on. That’s my end goal. My end objective is that we become the default website for people to want to go to for hyper local content and information in Denver.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s too early to say. We’re still in the honeymoon stage. I wanted the site to be very dynamic. Anytime I visit the site, I want to see new content and things look different so we get those returning customers. We want to keep our bounce rate low so that they’re sticking to the site with time and pages used. Those are things we will monitor over the next nine to 12 months.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a director on the board a non-profit organization called The Association of Sign Language Interpreters in the U.K. It’s a national association of interpreters that’s similar to the RID [Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf] in the U.S. Although we’re a national organization, we’re not huge. We have roughly 600 members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

We had a website for several years, but we had a lot of difficulty with it. Members were really unhappy and any fixes were prohibitively expensive. As a board, we decided to search for a new developer and have a new website built.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed at length the advantages and disadvantages of using WordPress versus Drupal. After looking at the benefits, cost, and the way each would function, we decided to go with a WordPress site. NEWMEDIA hosted it for us.

They offered us a very reasonable quote for any changes that we need to make, anything we need to add or take off. It might be X amount per hour, but if we were to purchase Y hours, then that amount per hour was reduced. The hours that we purchase don’t expire, which is quite economical for us.

We are a membership organization, so the website informs the general public about the work that we do. It shows our best practices for using interpreters, particularly in legal situations, in video relay situations, or with regard to social media. Aside from these guidelines, we also have a directory of members—working practitioners—on the public face of the website. Some of our training opportunities are also shown there.

The private side of the website is just for members. It enables practitioners to discuss topics and issues about interpreting. We talk about the challenges that we face in our practice such as changes in U.K. legislation. We deal with the changes of contracts for service provision in the U.K. for large providers like the National Health Service or the Incremental Justice System.

What is the team dynamic?

There was a team of about 5–6. There was general oversight, management direct oversight, and then 2–3 actual developers working on it.

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

I knew NEWMEDIA because they built a smaller, personal website for my work as an interpreter. We also took several quotes from different developers. NEWMEDIA was by far the most economical and offered the best value for money. They were confident that they could have us up and running by our April 2017 deadline.

How much have you invested with them?

They built the whole site, including the add-ons, for under $30,000. We had other companies bidding up to $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2017 until April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The WordPress site has been really good for us. Since the site went live, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. There were some members who had some difficulties, but those were solved easily. NEWMEDIA quickly sorted out a few issues and glitches when the site first went live. Some of those they did without any additional charges. That was really useful.

I’m delighted with the new website. It makes life so much easier for me. Part of my responsibility as a member of the board is to organize training activities for our members in different regions. I also had to organize training events that are web-based. I would have to load the announcements onto the website, monitor the number of members booking on to participate, and so on. With the old system, it was so awkward and required many steps. Now, with the new website, it is quick and easy.

Our previous provider had said that they would liaise with NEWMEDIA for a handover period.  They would transfer information to NEWMEDIA then so that the new site could go live fully loaded. In the end, they broke that promise, which was a serious challenge for NEWMEDIA. What they were presented with was the equivalent of a memory stick with some unreadable data. They really had a huge task, but they were congenial and quick to respond.

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

While some of our members were concerned about using a U.S. developer, it actually played in our favor. During our business hours, we could identify issues and communicate those to NEWMEDIA via Basecamp. Then, NEWMEDIA would be at work while we were sleeping. In many cases, things were resolved virtually overnight. There were times when we identified something at 8:00 in the morning U.K. time, which is the middle of the night in Denver. Once we posted an issue on Basecamp, they responded as soon as they opened for business, often at 8:00 in the morning Denver time. They were very responsive.

When the site went down shortly after it went live, we contacted NEWMEDIA. Despite that fact that it was a weekend, they repaired everything so that the site was back up within an hour. We were very grateful and pleased with that side of the affair.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were personable, approachable, and courteous. They were keen to understand what our needs were, offering advice and helping us solve issues that came up. Sometimes, they would point us to other platforms or other options.

In contrast, our previous provider was slow to respond. They charged exorbitant amounts of money for the simplest of issues or even issues that were due to something that they had done inappropriately in the first place.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a budgeting site. We’re going through a pivot right now, but we’re primarily an envelope-style budgeting tool that combines with your shopping list. When the user is building a shopping list, it tells them what they’re expected to spend and they can check it against their budget in real time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NEWMEDIA?

I had an idea and was going into the project with no experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I outsourced all of the development work of the website and web application to NEWMEDIA for the first version. They used PHP and Drupal to build what we needed. The app is free to use.

One of the things I wanted to include was an attachment of a receipt in the app. Initially, they said it couldn’t be done for the price I was looking for, but they actually ended up finding a way for me to do it, which I was really happy with. I also wanted to do iOS and Android, but couldn’t afford it.

What is the team dynamic?

There were four to eight people working on the project at any given time. The team was pretty consistent and I had different points of contact throughout the project. One of my primary contacts left the company during the project, but everybody else knew what was going on, so there wasn’t any relearning they had to do on their end.

How did you come to work with NEWMEDIA?

I vetted eight local companies. At that point, I didn’t know what I wanted except that I wanted someone local. I realize now that the cost is a lot more compared to outsourcing overseas. Of the eight local companies, I felt like NEWMEDIA was way above everyone else mainly because of their team; I felt like they cared more about me and what I was trying to do.

How much have you invested with them?

The work NEWMEDIA did cost $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started talking to them in March 2013. We went through the discovery process and built everything later that year, and got a working copy by February 2014 and tested it. The site went live at that point, but I didn’t release it publicly until July 2014. I’m now using a different development team overseas for the app because of cost.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback was good but there were people that have stopped using it. This time, I’m working to make the app require less manual entries so it’s more automated. I didn’t ever hear any issues quality-wise, though.

There are some things that eventually stopped working and I wasn’t sure why. At that point, I didn’t have the money to fix those bugs. It was at that time that I decided to pivot and not focus so much on the web app but rather allocate my resources to the new build.

A lot of the new build is based on what NEWMEDIA did. Their discovery process was fantastic and they were very thorough. I was also pleased with the frontend of the project; they not only took my direction but also challenged me on things.

How did NEWMEDIA perform from a project management standpoint?

There were times when we thought a deadline would happen but it didn’t. I don’t think they ever gave me a hard deadline, and they would always communicate why something was going to be late. There are always additions to the estimate which change the target date. It seems to be the way it is in this industry.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did a good job of listening to what I was looking for. I didn’t know what I was doing, so they were able to translate and give meaning to what I was saying, while also being very patient with me and very thorough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t done anything with them in a while. I didn’t understand how everything worked initially with the billing. Whenever we met together, that time was being billed, which makes complete sense but I must’ve missed that fact in our initial conversations. It was generally a positive experience, though.

Also, most of the people I was working with then are still there. That says something about their business.