Orases

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Disability Insurance Quotes. We fulfill disability insurance sales for insurance agents as well as consumers. Most of our business takes place online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Our website is hosted on Adobe ColdFusion, and hasn’t been structurally updated in over 20 years. There have been some recent changes to compliance laws in our industry regarding security, and it became clear that ColdFusion wouldn’t be able to support the new features we would need to implement.

We began searching for a development team that could help migrate our website onto a different server.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project has just begun, so the Orases team is currently focused on laying the groundwork and programming databases.

However, the team has implemented an instant disability insurance quote tool on our website that’s being used now. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of about five developers. About once a month, I meet with Nick (President, Orases).

How did you come to work with Orases?

I came across Orases on Clutch while searching for developers. I called Nick and we connected very well, so we decided to partner.

How much have you invested with them?

The project will cost about $800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we’re so early along in the project timeline, we don’t have any specific deliverables other than the instant quote tool, which we’re extremely impressed with. It’s a really unique feature, and we’re one of the only firms to offer it. 

As far as the progress they’re making at the moment, we’re very impressed with the work the team has been producing. I rarely have to make corrections. 

It's clear the team understands not just the current system they’re building, but also the one they’re working to correct.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

Orases has blown my mind so far. The team is extremely particular and detailed. As someone who isn’t very detail-oriented, their ability to manage me shows how good they are at what they do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Orases has a unique ability to give our company exactly what we need, rather than trying to fit their solutions to us. We really appreciate that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are the most trusted pharmacy technician certification organization with close to 300,000 active certified pharmacy technicians. That makes up the majority of the market. Our mission is to advance medication safety by certifying pharmacy technicians who are on the frontlines of patient care. I’m the director of marketing and communications. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Our website was antiquated, difficult to navigate, and aesthetically outdated. Because of all of that, it wasn’t effectively communicating our message or mission as well as we wanted it to. We turned to them to help us tell our story.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At first, they showed us wireframes before sending their sketches over to our designers. We went back and forth on design, but minimally. They were in charge of creating the site.

The navigation on the site has changed quite a bit with their help. With their team, we developed two distinct paths. People can find information in a standard way, searching based on credentials and using dropdown navigation options. However, we also looked at it from a customer experience standpoint because we serve individuals and organizations. When they arrive at the site, they can select what type of audience they are. That input will steer their journey on our platform. For instance, if you’re a technician, you can focus your user journey on career advancement.

We also worked on a candidate guidebook, which is critical in communicating processes and policies. Before, the guidebook was essentially just a PDF on the site. That wasn’t necessarily what we wanted because we wanted to be able to easily update and link to other pages. The integrity of the document was very important. They helped us make it more aesthetically pleasing and easy to read, and also provided necessary document controls.

They continue to update the site as needed, and we’ve also just elected to work with them on another site project.

What is the team composition?

Laura (Digital Project Manager, Orases) was our project manager. We communicated directly with her.

How did you come to work with Orases?

The graphic designers that we use on a regular basis partnered with Orases and brought them to us. That was nice because we had known the graphic designers for years and had grown a comfortable relationship. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2018, and our team launched the site in October 2019. We’re still working with them to tweak the site as it evolves.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t had the opportunity to perform quantitative metric comparisons, but qualitatively we often receive praise on social media for the site’s ease of use.  Overall, our internal staff feels more empowered in marketing our products and credentials. It allows us to present information in a way that’s compelling and easy for people to understand. In short, it helps support our mission.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They set the bar for project management. I’ve worked with a number of consultants in the past, and several have been a bit disappointing. When hiring a partner, I expect them to manage the process. In our case, Laura has been phenomenal at managing the project and keeping us on task.

They communicated expectations for both parties. It was refreshing to have that clearly established in the beginning. I really credit their team with keeping the project on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The working experience was the most impressive. We could tell them about our concerns and dreams openly. They were able to translate our thoughts into something that makes sense. I was impressed with their ability to give us what we were asking for, and more. When something wasn’t right, they were able to make effective corrections. They took in our vision and made it into a coherent solution. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was a little surprised by the final budget because I didn’t realize that some of our requests fell outside of the original scope. That caused a little sticker shock, and we had to reevaluate our priorities. I did appreciate how they communicated those changes though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their jobs. I’ve never had such a positive experience working with an outsourced company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of the engagement, I was the vice president of project management at Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which operated MLB.com, all 30 MLB team sites, and all MLB applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We engaged Orases to build out the digital experience for our Pitch Hit & Run program. We wanted to create a community-based application that allowed users to organize and run the competitions in their local area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We involved Orases in meetings at the commissioner’s office and included them in some high-level discussions of what the application needed to be. Orases demonstrated a solid understanding of our desires and presented a thoughtful development plan for the product.

They provided us with initial designs, and we collaborated with their team to iterate more and optimize the experience. Those discussions drove the development process, where Orases ensured that the application captured all of the relevant information we needed while also storing user data appropriately.

Orases utilized JavaScript and HTML for the website’s frontend, which features an interactive map that shows users where competitions are held relative to their location. The user experience is such that people can create their own competition or join an existing one with a series of easy-to-follow steps.

What is the team composition?

We probably interacted with as many as 10 people. Our team included Nick (President, Orases), a project manager, a financial and legal adviser, and members of their technology and design teams.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I learned of Orases through a colleague who had worked with their team when they developed a very similar community-based product for the NFL.

How much have you invested with them?

Throughout the engagement, we spent approximately $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement spanned December 2014–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Orases worked under tight deadlines because we wanted to launch before the start of the next registration season. We wanted to rid our sign-up process of paper, so it was crucial that Orases deliver the application before that period started. It was a tall task to go from our idea to launch in about two months, but Orases made it happen, and we continued to enhance the product from there.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

We received timely information from their project management team. We had a good idea of what was going on even though we weren’t very hands-on with the project. Orases did a great job of communicating and remaining transparent throughout the engagement. Together, we developed an efficient process from a project management and delivery standpoint.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They plug-in seamlessly to a team and can handle the full project end-to-end. We developed a lot of trust in them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they accomplished everything we set out to do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Orases, and let them use their wide range of expertise to help you innovate and execute. If you trust them, they won’t let you down.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a radiology-specific veterinary company. We provide telemedicine consultations to other veterinary hospitals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Our company needed a tool to facilitate seamless communication with other hospitals. We hired Orases to help us develop a RIS (radiology information system) PACS (picture archiving and communication system) EMR (electronic medical records) platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orases has been there since the beginning to help us brainstorm ideas about how to accomplish our objectives. We started from the 50,000-foot view. Since then, we have narrowed down the broad scope of requirements down to define our exact needs.

Orases guided us through the entire discovery process. We met twice a week. During each session, they helped us refine our concept based on our explanations. They suggested novel ideas to solve the image transfer issues we have been experiencing. Even though this is my area of expertise, they came up with new ideas I had never considered, 

The main deliverable they produced was a final document with everything the developers need to move forward. We haven't started the development yet, but the end product will be a web platform. Through the system, other hospitals will be able to send us X-ray images. It will enable us to send them back reports we write up.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from Orases; a UX architect, project manager, and the head of business development.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I searched online extensively before I met and spoke with several companies in Silicon Valley. Orases offered a much more personable feel than most of the other companies we considered. 

As a small business, they were much more willing to talk about the overall project and how to address problems than a younger startup would.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started discussions in October 2018. Our engagement is ongoing. Orases will also handle the development stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just finished the discovery stage, so I don't have any metrics or statistics to share so far. Up until this point, everything has been positive. We haven't had any negative comments.
 

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well from a project management standpoint. They kept us up to date and contacted us daily about any new developments or questions they had. We would respond as soon as possible. Orases always answers our questions within a couple of minutes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best thing about Orases is their willingness to work with us as a smaller company. They broke down the process with a project manager as well as a business development individual.

I appreciated that Orases took the process a bit slowly since I'm not familiar with software development. Their infrastructure is built so that they can work with larger companies as well. Clients of theirs include many sizable national businesses with recognizable names, all of whom gave them positive reviews.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?

Understanding the scope of the project before getting deep into the discovery phase could be beneficial. I know the purpose of the discovery phase is to figure out the exact requirements, but my only critique is that after I told them my idea in our very first meeting, it turned out to be a much bigger project. Some of that is unavoidable, though.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of a healthcare organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We wanted to develop a new system that improved the features and performance of our grants management system. The finished product financially supports patients across the United States.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did the requirements analysis and a detailed design process with them to decide which feature implementations would be most significant. We also went through best practices for load, penetration, and security testing. The original application was designed for renal professionals, but the new application has three tiers of users: renal professionals working on behalf of patients, patients themselves, and caregivers. We greatly enhanced the performance, features, and functionality, and gave applicants the opportunity to store profile information within the application. That eliminated the need to enter that information repeatedly on future grants and makes the application process much more streamlined. We also dramatically improved performance time in the new system, now averaging about 2 seconds or less for page response.

What is the team composition?

There were about six team Orases members involved in the engagement.

How did you come to work with Orases?

We sent out a targeted RFP and selected three vendors based on our research. Orases already had a grants management platform in their arsenal. We’re leveraging about 75% of the application functionality out of the box, with the remaining 25% customized for our business needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

The whole project lasted about 18 months. We started working together in June 2017, had a soft launch in November 2018, and completed the full launch in January 2019. We’re currently discussing enhancements and implementations for phase two.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was very successful. In addition to redoing the application, we also reduced the hours spent on our payment services. We used to print and send over 300,000 payments per year, most out of our headquarters location. As part of the shift to a SaaS model, we outsourced our payment services and now offer options for checks, debit cards, and ACH deposits.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent project managers, and I recommend them wholeheartedly. We had several in-person meetings, but we also communicated regularly via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service and responsiveness are terrific. We’ve never had any major issues with them, and they always respond quickly to any minor ones. Their project management, design, and testing are cohesive and well governed. There were multiple layers within this project, and they did well throughout.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any areas of improvement for them. We’re very happy with their work and look forward to working with them in the future.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any vendor, do your due diligence and follow through on your methodologies, either agile or waterfall. This was a key part of our project success as it reduced risks early on. We led the initiative with a multi-vendor team, and they worked well with our aggregated team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a fractional CIO for the Plastics Industry Association, a nonprofit association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We needed a partner to put together a public-facing database to determine if it was a resource that our industry needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orases built a workable minimum viable product (MVP) in less than a week. We needed it in such a short time because our council members wanted to see how it functioned. The MVP is a website with a searchable database. We put together an elementary wireframe, and Orases used that to build their product. We’re currently refining the details to launch it publicly next month and get real data.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with one developer.

How did you come to work with Orases?

A colleague referred them, and they were an excellent price, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This product is better than anything I’ve received from any other developers. It’s high quality and something we can build on instead of having to start over. The MVP has helped us determine what we want in the final product, so it’s been a tremendous asset to our project.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They had great communication and delivered everything we asked for. We mainly communicated via email, and they had an incredibly fast turnaround time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were easy to work with and one of the best partners we’ve ever had. The entire team was fast and efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Realty Connection. We’re an online recruiting and retention CRM platform focused on the residential real estate industry. We help managing brokers grow their businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

Our online CRM is fairly complex because it ties into various MLS data sites across the country through a vendor relationship with Terradatum. The software has evolved significantly since we first rolled it out. I wanted someone to step in and do a full audit, improving the security if features were lacking, making recommendations to increase the speed, and thinking about future versions of the software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them access to the server, which was Rackspace. They went in and looked at the code, the security features, and the version control that was in place. They then reviewed some of the efficiencies or lack thereof around how the data tables worked. They came back with an extensive report detailing these findings.

From that report, we outlined a strategic plan to tackle some of the more critical items, on which they worked with our team in India to fix. Together, those teams put in place some version control to patch up some security issues.

We also migrated from Rackspace onto Amazon Web Services (AWS). They were instrumental in sizing the server we needed and recommended splitting up some of the pieces onto two different services; one with the data and one to handle the programming engine. They also outlined a plan for our future evolution, as time and resources would permit.

What is the team composition?

We had a main point of contact and she would bring in individuals as needed. We had discussions with at least four individuals through her. I don’t know how many more people worked in the background.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I searched on Clutch and interviewed 3–4 firms that I felt were suitable for what we wanted. We don’t have anyone in our U.S. office that is well-versed in programming, as our programming team is in India. Orases stepped in on the U.S. side to oversee what work had been done and managed some of the critical recommendations.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is outstanding. They’ve given us an understanding of our software that we hadn’t got from talking with our programmers in India.

They were able to lay out some immediate fixes, which we addressed, while also focusing on some long-term projects for different versions of the software. When we’re ready, we may bring them back to assist with other versions of our product.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything that we wanted from a project management standpoint. We don’t have the in-house expertize for that, but they were able to take the ‘programming speak’ of our Indian team and transcribe it into things that I could understand as a non-programmer. They were able to take what we wanted and our concerns, and map them out into a process that programmers can use. They speak in a language that programmers understand.

We used Basecamp and had weekly meetings. We also had discovery sessions where our main point of contact would bring her team in to learn what we were trying to accomplish and how various pages feed into each other.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They called it as it was. They didn’t overpromise and underdeliver like a lot of software companies do.

They would give feedback if something we wanted was a little complicated, then offer ideas to simplify the process, make it more efficient, and make it run faster. I found that they got involved with the creative process, rather than just handing the developers a whiteboard and running off.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only downfall is that they’re a U.S. company so I have to pay U.S. hourly rates. There’s the argument you get what you pay for in that regard. I’d like to use them going forward, but I need to get our resources to that level. They provide services I wanted, but not at a price I could pay for at the time, beyond project management.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and advertising for Augusta Cooperative Farm Bureau, Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

While my current company hasn’t done anything with them formally, we’re in the process of finalizing some projects for them to take on. That being said, most of my experience with Orases took place while I was working with a different company. We were building custom websites for clients but lacked the internal resources necessary to deliver polished products. Leveraging the complexities of the project made us realize the need to hire an outside web development firm like Orases.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orases is custom web company that can do anything and everything. I’ve worked with them on multiple projects, but they primarily built intricate websites for a variety of our clients. All of the sites required e-commerce functionality and creative design. This effort included developing extranets for clients so their staff members can access backend data. Orases reliably delivered on all fronts.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 10-12 members of their staff. This includes developers, designers, and project managers.

How did you come to work with Orases?

We heard about them because of the educational outreach presentations they hold within their community. However, they were referred to us directly by a mutual colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

Cumulatively, we’ve spent roughly $800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first started working with them in April 2014 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their approach to teamwork, collaboration, and communication is impeccable. Orases does a great job of managing project scope and producing an accurate representation of each Client’s vision. They hear what clients want and can deliver in a lot of different ways.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re probably the best company I’ve ever worked with in terms of project management. In web development, project management is everything. If you don't have an excellent project manager, then you don’t have much of anything. The senior leadership at Orases are great at hiring wonderful people and that’s one of the main reasons we continue to work with them. They engage with us in any way we need them too. This includes webinars, FaceTime, phone calls, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Keeping up with the trends and transitions of e-commerce and web development is a never-ending task. However, Orases manages to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. Their knowledge and talent set them apart from other firms. Furthermore, we appreciate that they’re a large enough company to handle substantial projects, but also connected enough to foster a team-oriented environment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Call and meet up with them to discuss your project. They’re certainly willing to listen and fulfill your needs if possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for the National Football League but specifically for the NFL Foundation. I am the philanthropy coordinator for the foundation, so I manage our charitable grant programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We were in the process of overhauling our grant management system. We needed something easy and that could manage our whole workflow from the application to review to integrating with our payment system. It needed to be seamless from the frontend user applying for the grant through the review process and the payment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with some brand and culture guidelines and gave them enough creative freedom to do what they think was best for the user. They built the website to have an email and password login and then allow users to have access to all available grants for their user group. The backend is our main hub to coordinate all of the grants, players, clubs, and applicants.

With as much volume as we have, there is always an application being reviewed or processed. We have so much data that wasn’t easy to sift through, but they were key in delivering us what we needed right now and also helping create a new system so that information could easily be prepared in reports and disseminated.

We also had them build an external website for a separate grant program that was linked to our foundation website through the backend.

What is the team composition?

Overall, we worked with a half dozen people. Two of those were regular contacts, and one was daily.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in 2012 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All grant recipients are asked to complete a feedback survey, which includes an ease-of-use question, and we usually get positive feedback. Our team has also been so impressed with Orases that we recommended their services for another internal website.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

We have meetings three times a week, and we’ve been using Basecamp for other communication needs. They have been good at executing what we give them, which can oftentimes be limited in terms of creative direction or what we want. We don’t make it easy on them, but they’ve always been helpful and responsive. We couldn’t do our business without them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall responsiveness has been refreshing. Their willingness to be nimble and work quickly around issues has been extremely helpful. We’re slim on our team here, so they have been valuable additions to our staff.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our communication was disorganized at times, but then we made the transition to Basecamp and solved all those problems.

Any advice for potential customers?

We have been slow to adopt certain technologies, so we found it best to trust their expertise and their understanding of the services they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small business that focuses on safety and regulatory compliance, with a specific focus on the forest products industry. I’m the Vice President and COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orases?

We wanted to add value for our customers and asked Orases to help us create something simple and easy to accomplish this. We wanted to create a mobile app, with a web platform, that would allow our customers—generally small mom and pop shops—to record safety-related issues that could easily be sent to our web dashboard. This would improve safety and organization while streamlining the process for compliance issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This is our first effort with development and Orases really took the lead with us. This probably was not the most technically difficult project they’ve ever had; however, we’re bringing specific industry information that they probably don’t have a lot of experience with, and yet they’ve made successful efforts to learn about the field. We began by sharing our thoughts and goals, and they listened to what we wanted and gave feedback to help steer the direction of development. Then we moved on to the discovery phase, where they shared wireframes and collaborated with us thoroughly.

Orases developed the iOS, Android, and web platforms with an emphasis on UX for our specific clients. They created a dashboard component, that I can access on a desktop, where all the mobile application information flows to. The application itself helps customers do daily vehicle inspections and provides a method for drivers to make notes, provide photos, and list any defects, all of which are then funneled to the dashboard. All in all, this helps all of us identify possible safety issues and what might need attention.

What is the team composition?

We have a main point of contact and, when we share a weekly call with them, usually also speak with a developer. There are about three to five other developers working in the background.

How did you come to work with Orases?

I actually first found them from Clutch. I read their reviews and did my own investigating into their work and then spoke directly with the owner, Nick Damoulakis. That conversation pretty much sold me to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000 in total thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began development in October, 2017, and are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we’re still in the middle of the development process, we’ve been pleased with the way things have gone. We have slowly made our customers aware of what is coming and have gotten some positive feedback.

How did Orases perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re superb at sticking to deadlines and to budget. We use Basecamp and email to communicate, and the communication is fantastic and dynamic. They have their own process and stick to that while keeping us updated about their calendars, timelines, and budgets. They are also adept at providing pertinent information. They have been very engaged and very involved while communicating with us throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nick has put together a great team, many of whom we’ve enjoyed talking with. They’re focused and driven, but not to the point of being pushy or forcing a situation. They genuinely want us to be happy with the end product and want to deliver our vision.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would tell someone to do your homework beforehand. Bring as much information to the table as you can concerning how you visualize the end product. Make sure that information is appropriate and helpful for fully discovering what you want to do and what direction they need to take.