Next Step Digital Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Amaru Business Development Limited. We are a management consultancy that partners with entrepreneurs to launch, grow and raise capital for their business. We offer a range of solutions to solve these problems including, coaching and mentorship, capacity building, business registration, book keeping, business plans and feasibility studies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Next Step Digital Solutions, and what were your goals?

Our website was created was some two years ago. We have recently restructured our business, which included adding new services. Hence, a redesign of our website was necessary. We also wanted to increase the amount of selling we did on our websites as well, and improve our SEO.

SOLUTION

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

Next Step Digital Solutions has a solid reputation for delivering great results. We know this, as they are frequent collaborators of ours. Having seen the quality of their work, we reached out to have them redesign our website.

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

We had an initial meeting to discuss what our goals were. A creative brief was then developed showing the layout of the website. We exchanged emails on amendments to the creative brief, and I also provided descriptions of our service offerings, and information on the team. A draft of the website was developed and forwarded for our review. I provided feedback, and also had follow-up meetings where I discussed ideas I had on what I could to improve the website and I also received advice on branding.

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

I communicated with three teams. I interacted with a Client Success Representative who acted as a liaison between me and Next Step. I also worked with web designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We only recently completed our website, hence, I am unable to detail any measurable outcomes. However, I am optimistic about improving leads, as we now have a call action for each of our service offerings, on recommendation by Next Step.

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

We primarily communicated through email, while we held our virtual meetings on Google Meet. I also made suggestions to the site on a platform they shared. Having a Client Success Representative ensured that I had a contact person that I could also tap about the progress of my website's development. Additionally, they were attentive to me and my needs, and I could lean on their expertise when I had ideas that I was uncertain about.

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

I found they understood how good design can influence the actions of a site visitor. In one of our final meetings, they took care to adjust designs based on a conversation we were having to reinforce the solutions we provide at each page, while at the same including a call to action, which would potentially drive an increase in leads.

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

Next Step shared a platform where I could make suggestions to the site as it was being developed. At times the designer responded my suggestions with questions. I did not see these questions, which caused some edits I requested to initially go undone. I think an email with these questions or a follow-up meeting to address the designer's concerns would have been good.