Organiq Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I started a design, build, full-service renovation construction company for Manhattan residential buildings and apartments.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the owner and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with SmartNet Solutions?

We engaged SmartNet Solutions because we have had a number of things done to our website in time, and I wanted to incorporate a content management platform, which was WordPress. I wanted it to work well with PHP and become something that would be very easy for us to update the website independently of a developer. There was a little tweaking in terms of the design, but not very much. It had more to do with it being tough to change the overall look and feel of the website to still support our brand image and integrate the content management function.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

SmartNet Solutions also provides consulting and maintenance of the site. We’ve engaged SmartNet Solutions for that work. We pay by retainer, and once we get through that, we replenish the retainer.

What was your process for selecting SmartNet Solutions to work with?

I did extensive research, and I wouldn’t work with anybody who didn’t come with a referral. They were a referral from one of my subcontractors.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was between $10,000 to $12,000. We plan to work with them on an ongoing basis. They have already finished the content development and integration, as well as WordPress. It is working wonderfully.

How is WordPress working for your organization?

I’m not able to assess that on a technical level. It's easy to use and is user friendly. It's very efficient for us to be able to change our website. It was a great recommendation, and a great platform to use as a template for us to copy and run with it. It was very easy, and I have college interns who use it for me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have any metrics. SmartNet Solutions was very responsive in giving us timelines and meeting their deadlines. They are always available, and they always stick with it until the end. That is very important because things do go wrong. We had trouble when we were migrating the database on the hosting site. That was challenging, but I would refer them and use them again. We're engaged with them for ongoing maintenance.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

SmartNet Solutions thinks outside of the box in coming up with solutions. They didn’t get stuck creatively, which is easy to do. I’m very specific about what I want. I know this business very well, and I was picking out the fonts and going through layouts about what I wanted to change or keep the same. We were using light boxes and other very technical aspects of the site. They did a wonderful job in meeting the creative direction and goal.

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

If there was a way to have a timeline in planning. Timelines are hard. If there was a way to phase the project, that would have helped. It took a little longer than we thought in terms of the site hosting change problems and the database migration. I don’t know how much they could have done about it. Some of that just happens when you try to account for the unexpected.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm. What’s your role and responsibilities?

My company is a custom cabinet company. We make custom closets, custom kitchens, and media cabinets from orders working for general contractors, designers, and we have our own clients. I wanted to get a wider range of our own clients who want us to design and fabricate custom furniture and cabinet pieces. That’s why I decided to hire SmartNet Solutions for this work. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with SmartNet Solutions?

It’s basically to increase sales and also change the business a little bit. We have our own clients, and we want to have a wider range of projects. I realized that dealing with our own clients is more lucrative than building for third parties. Usually, I have larger projects from the general contractors and architects, but I ask to get some turnaround projects for smaller jobs. Of course, the overall goal is to increase revenue.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of their work in more detail?

I actually had a website already up and running. I wanted to redesign the website. I had my ideas, I did a lot of the work myself, and I just didn’t have the time. I had to focus on my business. I had ideas, and I discussed what was going to work better and how we can present our work and services to prospective clients. It is mostly design work. We did the design from the ground up. We completely changed the layout and structure of the site. Then, I hired them to take care of the SEO services as well.

What was your process for selecting them?

I actually hired them to design my logo in the past. I definitely wanted to have someone local. I searched online and selected a few firms and had some conversations. They understood right away and responded the quickest. I really had a good experience making the logo. I was confident they would be a good choice.

Can you provide a sense of the size of that project with a general cost range?

The project was around $10,000. I’m not quite sure how many hours they worked, but it was fairly complex with many pages for the site. That was quite a few hours of going back and forth and redesigning and tweaking. I think we worked on that about a month. Also, they still work on it, month to month. The work has lasted nearly a year.

When was the work completed?

The design is completed. Now, all of the work is SEO services. Now, we have some new work. We have been research Hummingbird optimization for Google. This new development could be important for our SEO efforts. We are formulating a plan now. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with the work from SmartNet Solutions?

Definitely. They are the third company I have tried. I made the right decision to hire them, and they are my favorite vendor so far.

Is there anything unique or special about SmartNet that stood as different from other firms?

Definitely the response rate is unique. They pay attention to the client needs. I actually have referred some business partners to SmartNet Solutions. They all gave me the same feedback. They really listen and make it happen. They make your vision a reality. I really like them. If I tell them I’ve got some problems and need changes made quickly, they build it right away. Other companies, you can’t find your contact when you need them. SmartNet Solutions is much better.

Looking back on the project, is there anything that you think they could improve upon, or something that you might do differently?

No. I’m totally satisfied with them. I have no complaints on any part. We have a really good relationship.