Operation Technology

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing at Drew's on Halsted, an American fare restaurant. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Operation Technology?

Our restaurant’s website had grown outdated, so we hired Operation Technology to revamp it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The entire process of this redesign took about four weeks. Once we met with Brad (President, Operation Technology) and Bill (Director of Design, Operation Technology), they immediately set out to review our existing website and determine what our needs were.

We wanted to renew the look of our site and give our online visitors more information about our history and allow them to see examples of our food through photographs. Chicago’s Dining Guide recently featured our restaurant and one of our chefs, and we wanted that to be prominent on the site. We also wanted our website to link to other local businesses and the chamber of commerce so that we could enhance our presence in the community.

Operation Technology has also built up our SEO strategy so that people can find us easier while searching for specific keywords around our neighborhood. Before the new website launched, we were doing our marketing on foot, so their SEO work has saved us a lot of grunt work.

Lastly, we also rely on Operation Technology to create graphics for some of our special musical events and performances. We used to work with a different company for our graphics, but they took too long—maybe a week or two to receive our graphics and put them on social media. Now, Operation Technology helps expedite that process.

What is the team composition?

Brad and Bill are our primary contacts, but they have other team members as well.

How did you come to work with Operation Technology?

I knew Brad from another project when I worked somewhere else several years ago. It was a small website project, but he did a wonderful job creating it, and it was very affordable. I recommended working with him once we had the need arise at the restaurant for a new website.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project of revamping our website lasted from May–June 2019.

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

Our website has only been live for about two weeks, but even in the first few days, more people were finding us. Operation Technology showed us the metrics and our growth. We used to be ranked in the 25–30 range in the search results, and now we're in the top five or top three depending on the keyword.

How did Operation Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team jumped right into determining our needs and finding ways to address them. Brad and Bill were incredibly communicative—they always seemed to be available to talk about our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Operation Technology has a personable and knowledgeable team. I’m not all that technical, and they’ve been able to explain their processes in more straightforward terms for me.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at all. We’re very happy. For what we asked for, Operation Technology has exceeded our expectations.

Please give a description of your company and what you do there.

I am the founding teacher of the Latin American Language Center in Chicago. It’s a language school. We teach Portuguese and Spanish.

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Operation Technology?

I have some kind of knowledge of search engine optimization since I studied business administration. There was a point where I really need to delegate the Web design and someone that could keep track of my search engine optimization. That’s why I contacted Operation Technology.

Was this a completely new website that you wanted developed?

Yes, and he customized it for me. He made a new, more professional one.

Did you have any specific business goals for the project?

I wanted to increase my profits.

Did the Web design project include design and development as well as training and support?

Yes.

With which content management system was the site built?

WordPress.

Do you find that to be an easy-to-use and functional content management system?

Yes. For me, I tried Drupal, but it was too complicated. WordPress is much clearer and has much more functionality to it.

What was your process for selecting Operation Technology to work with in the first place?

First of all, I had met the CEO [Brad Fogel]. He was my client first. We started talking about prices, that he could give a discount to build my website. Since I really like his website and his business, I asked him if he could do something similar for me, and he did. I then signed a contract with him for one year to improve my search engine optimization. I like him and how he works. He doesn’t push me. He’s very fast. That’s what I like.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project, either in a cost range or in a personnel work hour figure?

First of all, the website was $3,000, and that was to build everything. For the search engine optimization, it was $300 per month for a 12-month contract.

When was the project completed?

Search engine optimization is still on an ongoing basis. The website was finished very fast, actually in two to three weeks. It was finished in January of 2013.

In terms of the results of the work that Operation Technology has done for you so far, is there any feedback that you can share that indicates the effectiveness of their work?

Yes, of course. It increased my profit by 35 percent to 40 percent. I’m enjoying a lot of new customers through the search engine optimization.

He’s very fast. That’s what I like. He answers my emails pretty fast, and the things that I assign him are completed quickly. Also, he’s affordable. I don’t think he’s ripping me off like any other search engine optimization [companies]. I trust him.

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

Not for now.

Please give a brief description of your company and your role.

I am the owner of a consulting business in the branding and communications sector. 

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Operation Technology?

I just started last year, and I needed to develop a website, and make sure that I was getting the SEO for the site in the areas where I’m focusing.

Did you have any specific goals for the site?

For me, it was actually just getting a website developed. I wanted to be able to direct people somewhere where they could learn a little bit more about the services I offered and a little bit about my background if I met someone through a networking event. Also, I wanted to have my information out there so that on Yelp and other areas I could direct people to a site to learn more prior to actually speaking with me. 

Did the scope of the work include design, development, training, and support for the website?

Yes. It started out in the beginning with my strategy of how my site was going to lay out, what it actually would entail, and what it would do. From there, I did the content myself, but then it morphed into the functional design, the templates that they were using, and then getting me structured and teaching me how to use WordPress.

What did that training involve?

Initially, they did the site and got everything set up and had me approve it. Now, I’m in initial training of how to update the site myself from a content perspective, add links, and different things like that. I’m learning in one-on-one meetings.

Why did you select Operation Technology with which to work?

For me, I wanted to select an agency that was in Chicago that was also a consulting or smaller type of company that I could work with within my budget. Through referrals, I actually know Brad [Fogel], the owner of Operation Technology. They’ve worked with a lot of clients and have done really well, and I knew that Brad would be a good person for the type of business that I was looking for.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative, either in a cost range or personnel work-hour figure?

It was kind of a smaller site when we first started out with the project, and it’s grown in pages through the past eight months as we’ve kind of gone through it. The work was less than $10,000.

How long did the project take?

It started summer of last year [2013] because I didn’t start my business until then. It was probably launched in August or September.

We launched the initial site probably in the first couple of weeks of meeting with them. I’ve been making updates over the last couple of months as we’ve been adding little things. This month, we started adding some pages to it and building out the site a little bit more. 

In terms of results, are there any metrics or any qualitative feedback that you can share that indicates the effectiveness of their work?

Now, since we’ve built more pages, and I’ve kind of revamped the content on it a little bit, we’re just getting into really tracking the information and starting to look at some SEO keywords, and narrowing it down.

Are you happy with the design and the functionality of the website?

Absolutely. It works for me. It became the main launching pad to the theme and the feel of all my other branding components.

How would you describe Operation Technology’s performance?

They’re very flexible and easy. They give good directions. They know how to work with small to medium-sized companies really well, from understanding budgets to work with, how you start, how you have to work small and educate, and then ramp up as you go. They’re able to build the programs properly with their client because they know how to insert, at different times, enhancements to it.

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to any other companies that you may have worked with in the past?

The size and the knowledge base that they had, and their attention to detail and understanding of my needs and what I was looking for definitely set them apart.

Is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you would do differently as a client of theirs?

No. Right now, I’m fine because they’re kind of growing with me in certain ways. They’re helping me at times when I need to add or enhance things when I’m ready. For me, it’s a really good relationship.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Wealth Advisor for growing firm offering individual asset management and financial advice.

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

We needed help with SEO and creative ways to market our website.

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

They've performed much-needed hard work and heavy lifting required to get a new site off the ground. Great progress has made within a short period of time.

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

Keyword identification, lots of technically written articles to help promote our a business and services. They managed Google Analytics, found effective backlinks, and lifted our domain authority.

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

1 - CEO

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

Our site shows measurable improvement each month. Very pleased.

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

Monthly communications with updates and recommendations.

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

They deliver what they promised on time.

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

Keep up the good work.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a CPA and owner of an accounting office servicing small biz owners.

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

The primary goal was to build a website, manage it and also do SEO.

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

We first hired a lower-priced company that charged us 1000 to do a website (this is when we were starting out) and we got a website that looked like a 1000 website. So of course, we wanted something more professional, dynamic and decided to scratch the new website we had just gotten & hired Operation Technology.

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

Our engagement involved building two websites from scratch and building SEO on both websites. They both are very well built and I can't decide which is my favorite full website.

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

I've had contact and worked with three people from Operation Technology.

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

Since building the websites and the SEO with Operation Technology, we get a lot of new clients/prospects telling us they found us online.

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

Operation Technology was quick to get to work and gave us updates regularly. They met the deadlines that we set out.

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

I think their modern approach works very well for younger business owners that are looking for something laid back, professional and catchy.

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

They are great!

Please describe your company and your position there.

My position is president and we are a janitorial service.

For what projects/services did your company hire Operation Technology?

We hired them to make us a seo campaign

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was for people to easily find and contact us.

How did you select Operation Technology?

I selected them because I had tried two other businesses and it did not give me a good result and my accountant recommended them to us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We had a meeting with them about what we wanted from the campaign and how we were going to set it up

What was the team composition?

They were very involved

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

They send me every month statistics to show the ranking of the website, in different platforms.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were professional and reasonable

Are there any areas for improvement?

No