Spry Digital

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Financial Officer of CBD Kratom

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a retail store operator with wholesale and eCommerce channels

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Spry Digital to accomplish?

• Spry serves as our fractional CTO

SOLUTION

How did you find Spry Digital?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Spry Digital over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Spry Digital were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our company is not so big that we require a full-time CTO, but not so small that we do not need executive-level IT leadership and strategy. Spry Digital fills that spot for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Spry Digital, specifically Julia and Nancy, provided CTO-level organization, strategy and leadership on a variety of projects; most recently the rollout of local delivery service of our products in select markets. This project was rolled out successfully and accoerding to projected timelines

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Spry Digital did a great job of keeping our project on proper pace and well-managed. Twice-per-week virtual meetings ensured that everybody kept up on deliverables and stayed on schedule

What was your primary form of communication with Spry Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

The folks from Spry are very knowledgable and responsive. They ask quetions that we are not skilled to ask and then ensure follow through occurs. Executive summaries are detailed, but not overwhelmiing to the recipient.

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

Spry Digital has been a terrific partner for us. There are no notable areas where our company requires improvement from their resources

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the digital marketing director of an economic development organization. We represent the 15-county metro area of St. Louis, Missouri, and act as the voice of the business community in the region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

We needed help with the technical aspects of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spry Digital handles the technical aspects of our website. We hired them years ago to build our website before we rebranded to our current company, and now, we've engaged with them to revamp our site. They've also assisted with our marketing automation needs by integrating forms and helping build modules and content delivery features on the website. The site is built on Drupal and uses MySQL on the backend.

When we were looking at a solution for the website, we negotiated a contract with them to have a more formal retainer. Previously, we were on a month-to-month deal, paying basic maintenance fees, and now we have a more structured contract with them. Since then, we've retained them to work on our technical needs, such as backing up the website and addressing any issues.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with Michaelah and Sara, project managers; Sheila and Sara, two other developers, and another person on their communications team.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

They were referred to us, but I knew of them before working for this company.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since September 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've fixed a broken form on our website that directly cost our investor revenue. They fixed that issue within a few days, which was directly related to our organization's income. There have been a couple of minor hitches, like stress testing things and finding issues or pages that don't load correctly, but they were quick to address those issues.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They've done pretty good. Judging by the last year of service, they've made strides to improve time once they get a message. Their after-hours service is good, and they communicate even if someone is not on duty. Usually, as soon as I ask something, it's answered promptly. We use ClickUp and communicate through Zoom, phone calls, and text messages.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Sara and Michaelah were key in communication, letting us know what was happening, breaking down challenges, and preventing roadblocks, especially in the last year with the maintenance aspect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail and asking good questions. Their technical skill set is top-notch. They have a strong knowledge of the technical pieces of a website, which was the main reason we hired them, and they've done a bang-up job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we had some issues with invoicing, but once we gave that feedback, they adjusted quickly and ensured we were all on the same page.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and very specific, depending on what solution you're using. Having what you need and use cases is helpful for any agency, but for them in particular, it's crucial. Also, when you're troubleshooting, think through the problem. They'll work with you, but to save time and effort, have a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish so they can be more solutions-based.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at a consumer-packaged goods holding company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

We needed to redo our six-year-old website, which was not up to date and very difficult for us to use. Hence, we hired Spry Digital to create a new site that has a user-friendly backend and is more organized than our old one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spry Digital rebuilt an entirely new website for us from scratch. They handled both the development and design aspects of the project, as well as the maintenance and hosting. Their team also made sure that all of the information on our site was easy to find.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 people from their team on a regular basis, including Phil (Client Success Manager), who was our main point of contact and acted as the project lead. We also worked with their COO, CSO, and several developers and designers.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

I had actually worked with Spry Digital in the past when I was still working for a different company. We decided to go with their team not only because I was familiar with them but also because they were very good listeners and had great problem-solving skills.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $75,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from October 2021–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with the website they delivered. We’ve experienced very few issues, and it’s so much easier for us to use, especially when updating things, compared to our old site.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job from a project management standpoint. They stayed on budget and held weekly meetings with the project lead. Overall, the communication process was very good. We used Zoom, Microsoft Teams, phone calls, and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Spry Digital’s biggest strength was their listening skills — they really listened to our requirements and found creative ways to achieve them.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

No, we had an excellent experience working with Spry Digital.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have regular meetings with Spry Digital. There were a lot of times when talking with them about a challenge helped us come up with better solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the website & e-commerce manager of a business telecom company. We sell internet, phone, and television products and services to businesses. I manage all of the website properties for the B2B experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

Our inbound sales were shifting from primarily phone-based to almost entirely digital. However, users were having trouble navigating our website. We needed to update our online shopping experience and buy flow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spry Digital built our UI/UX. They migrated our internally hosted resources to AWS and integrated our billing system. They also set up multiple environments of buy flow user testing and implemented the top performer. The team continues to host and manage our buy flow.

What is the team composition?

My team mostly worked with Dominic (Product Manager, Spry Digital) and Jim (Client Success Manager, Spry Digital).

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

I joined my company after our engagement with Spry Digital had commenced.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with Spry Digital in June 2018, but their partnership with my company started before that. We launched the product soon after I joined the project. They provide continuing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the product’s launch, Spry Digital has driven growth by providing ongoing services and maintenance. Our digital user experience is significantly improved.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Dominic has worked on the technical aspects of the project while Jim has been involved with business planning and reporting. Spry Digital has been an insightful, reliable, and responsive partner. They have adhered to all of our requirements and deadlines. Our teams communicate via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Spry Digital is a digital-first vendor. The team has gracefully integrated our outdated systems and seamlessly transitioned our traditional sales organization to the digital era. Planning and executing such a complex system is extremely challenging, but Spry Digital has not missed even the smallest detail. For example, our billing system was particular to our industry and had various nuances, but Spry Digital successfully integrated it.  

Their communicative and accessible nature has fostered swift progress. We were particularly impressed that their CEO Sheila (Spry Digital) maintained a direct relationship with our team. She stayed thoroughly informed at every step of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to fix in the future. We have learned a lot from each other, and I’m sure we will continue to as our engagement progresses.

Any advice for potential customers?

Spry Digital offers a wide range of services, so it is essential to be clear about expectations from the start.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Coaching Coaches, LLC. Our training programs transform volunteer coaches and parents into better teachers and supporters respectively. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

Our training Our online presence was nonexistent, so we were having a difficult time expanding our business beyond the immediate Midwest region. We needed to build a website and host our training videos online so that people can access them anywhere.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spry Digital’s first task was building the company website. The standard site lists company information and all of the services that we offer. After the main platform was complete, they moved on to develop the accompanying ELS site. Users are prompted to sign up for an account and pay for membership to gain full access to the ELS site. Once the payment is processed, they can login to their account and view the courses from the user dashboard. Users only have access to courses that relevant to their membership type. With an administrative account, organizations can keep track of their coaches, view their progress, and verify their completion of the courses. Beyond development, they provided training so that I can resolve minor site issues without contacting them. However, I still have Spry Digital on retainer to handle large issues though.

What is the team composition?

Their president coordinated the project while their CTO led the web development and their CMO oversaw web design.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

I found them through a referral from a relative. They were the only company that understood the complexity of the project, so I felt confident in selecting Spry Digital.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $55,000--$65,000 to develop the main website and the ELS website.

What is the status of this engagement?

They began working on the websites in September 2011 and concluded the project in February 2012. They’re still on retainer to handle major site issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before working with Spry Digital, I was constantly traveling throughout the Midwest region to market my business to new customers and host training sessions for existing customers. Since launching the websites, the company has expanded beyond the Midwest; My clientele increased from 15,000 to 50,000.

In addition to decreasing travel and increasing profits, the website is perfectly functional. We receive a high volume of traffic at the beginning of each sports season, but we never get more than a handful of support tickets.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t have to micromanage them because their work pace was consistent with the timeline they provided. On the rare occasions they missed a deadline, they were transparent about their setbacks and offered frequent status updates. Although the websites are complete, we continue to meet a few times each year to discuss necessary updates and upgrades. If there’s a significant site issue, I sent them an alert through their internal support system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a small business owner, it’s comforting to have Spry Digital as an extra support system. Instead of treating my limited knowledge as a nuisance, they eagerly taught me the fundamentals of web development. Working with them is like having an in-house development team because my success was their top priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve worked with them for seven years and have yet to experience any major issues. They know my system better than anyone, so I can’t fathom using another company for my online needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our partnership was successful because we maintained frequent and transparent communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Marketing Manager for a large HVAC control and smart home device manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spry Digital?

Originally, we needed someone to enable e-commerce functionalities on our site using a Craft CMS.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to enable e-commerce functionality on our website using our current CMS.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by our internal software developers, who had worked with Spry Digital in the past and were very satisfied with their work. After comparing Spry to several other agencies, we chose them due to their level of experience and thorough approach to estimating/evaluating our project.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They developed e-commerce features which included a custom integration with a third-party fulfillment partner. They also helped design and build multiple product pages, as well as implement Google Enhanced Ecommerce. We’ve since retained Spry to maintain our website and oversee a variety of web development projects.

What was the team composition?

Primarily, we worked with two individuals throughout the project - a developer and the CEO of the company, with the latter acting as project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our project was implemented on time and on budget. It has allowed us to better serve our customers and generate more high-margin sales.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was well managed and the team is highly effective. We primarily used Trello to communicate, which worked very well, since it's a tool we use internally.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve been impressed by their ability to pivot when we change the scope on short notice, in addition to their ability to complete projects on time, within an estimated budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an internet and cable provider. I am the vice president of e-commerce and run web sales across the entire footprint and the U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

I brought them on to be our development shop. We needed someone to implement frontend designs developed by another company, as well as to maintain our backend. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an ongoing relationship in which they support and host our website on Amazon Web Services, maintain the buy-flows, and implement new features and enhancements as necessary. I'm not an IT guy, but I think they use Angular and Node on the backend. Our dot-com sites are in Drupal and the buy-flows are what Spry owns and manages. They also help out with the Drupal sites though since they have expertise in that area as well.

Throughout working together, they've excelled in speed to market. They've helped out with the user experience and conversion rates with the buy-flow. This is what drives sales for our company. Essentially, they're my go-to digital resource. 

What is the team composition?

We work with the CEO and a lead developer. They’ve recently brought on other guys to increase the bandwidth. We have a project manager and he has helped out with the Drupal work and is our account representative. There are other people behind the scenes but I don't work directly with them.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

We worked with one of their partners which was a marketing firm. The marketing firm did some designs to revamp our website and recommended bringing Spry on board for the development.

How much have you invested with them?

Our retainer has increased every year. The first year, it was $20,000 per month. The second year it was $30,000 per month. This year, it has been $43,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our contract with them began probably around December 2014 and is ongoing. Our retainer with them has grown over time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales have grown exponentially, and I attribute much of that to their work with the backend. Through success I’ve had with them, they’re now working with multiple organizations in my company so it’s been a great success story. 

We are constantly doing A/B testing and trying to streamline user experience. Their help has significantly improved the conversion rate. With the new byFlow, we’ve seen e-commerce grow up to twenty-five percent of sales. 

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been phenomenal to work with and feel like an extension of my team rather than a vendor. We use Jira internally and have weekly meetings. We also use Google Documents to communicate with each other.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and ideas are what stand out. They hire smart people with good people skills, and there is never any friction. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I wouldn't change anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would fully recommend them to anyone and everyone. It’s a partnership so I recommend hearing what they have to say. To be successful, be open to their ideas. Spry will do what you want, but if you hear them out and give them room to run, they can help you grow and avoid pitfalls.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Randy Burkett Lighting Design is a full-service, independent lighting design consultancy. We develop lighting solutions and strategies for architectural spaces and provide a full range of products within that specification. We’re a design company at heart. I’m one of the senior designers and project managers. As it relates to working with Spry Digital, I was also the project manager for a rebranding and redevelopment of our website and marketing materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

The company’s website was really lacking any sort of real design presence. It was a number of years old, and we didn’t have mobile compatibility. It didn’t really showcase the work of the company in a good light, and it was hard to update. It wasn’t developed and built in a manner that made it easy for us to update and keep things fresh.

At the same time, the company was in its 26th year, and we were still operating off the original branding and design approach to our logo and those components. So, once we decided to get into the website, we also started looking at rolling in other components, look at the logo, and maybe bring a lot of that forward into a more modern design style that reflects the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It really started as a website redevelopment. We decided within our company that we needed to adjust our website, recreate it, and develop it in a way that is more reflective of who we are and what we’ve worked on. That was the genesis, and as that kicked off, we reached out to Spry through a relationship with one of the principals. In looking through their work, we felt confident in working with them. The project then developed into looking at the logo.

We were sort of doing those two projects on a parallel path. We were building what we wanted the website to be, what the story should be and how we wanted to focus on things. Then we really got into the development of how it should be structured and laid out, the approach we wanted to take, and the goal for the website in the end. We looked at who the website would be reaching, who it’s written for and the goals we wanted out of it. Obviously, when you’re doing a new website, the goal is to get new work, but there were other components within that as well, based on how our firm has typically been engaged in projects.

Our typical client base is a lot of reoccurring business, but we still wanted to be able to showcase the work and our clients appropriately, to make them look good in that process as well. So, it was a bit twofold in the goals of the website. We wanted the site to be something that we can update and keep current as much as possible, without having to constantly go back to people to put new content on the website. We also wanted to make it more approachable, with better staff profiles, images of staff, and a blog, so we could have more of a voice and dialog through our website.

As we launched the new website and logo, we kept making refinements to the site and adding new material. Then we started to have conversations around getting the rest of our marketing materials to align with the new branding. We engaged Spry to take the new design approach and the visual styles we’d developed into all our marketing materials. It now all looks the same, with the same fonts, formats and layouts. They worked with us to help develop those as well. We haven’t had a true marketing campaign with them, but they helped us get all our material aligned within the same family.

We originally kicked it off with the principal of the firm, Sheila Burkett, and they brought along a team that Ken Moire was leading. They had a project manager and a project designer. Through the process, we met other people that would come to meetings to talk about a specific topic or do a training. It’s a WordPress site, and once the build was complete, they sent over someone to do some training on how we would manage the site moving forward. We probably dealt with six or so people, knowing there was a whole group of folks working on the project. It always seemed like the resources were there.

As designers ourselves, we probably got in the way as much as we possibly could, and not necessarily in a good way. I’m sure it was a challenge for Spry, dealing with us in that regard. We always knew the resources were there to support the project. Ken and Jay have really become the two main contacts, and they’ve both been great to work with. They’re responsive, and they explain the reasoning behind a solution, which has been very helpful.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

One of our firm’s principals had an existing relationship with one or two of the principals at Spry. We probably looked at two or three other agencies who had good recommendations, and we liked their approaches. However, the existing relationship won out, and it worked out very well. Spry has been a big bonus and help for us in this process. The quality of the work was certainly there. The personal relationship just became an added bonus to the whole thing.

How much have you invested with Spry Digital?

I would estimate we’ve spent more than $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It may have started in November or December of 2015, but it really kicked off in earnest in January or February of 2016. We have a service agreement with them. As we find little things that need to be fixed or adjusted, they’re available for us. We’ve maintained the relationship and talked about doing some more specific marketing components in the future. They’ve presented some possible avenues to take going forward, and it’s nice to see that they’re thinking ahead. I’m sure we’ll continue to work with them as things come about or as we want to expand a more active marketing approach.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve received a handful of inquiries through our website, and we’ve been invited to participate in a project with a new client from at least one of those inquiries. We’ve also received a lot of feedback from our existing clients about how great they think our website looks. It reminds them that they need to be looking at some of their information. They like seeing their project featured on our website. We really value that, as we get a lot of reoccurring business from our clients. So, we see benefit when they see that we’re showcasing their project on our website. That’s where we think it strengthens and maintains the relationship. Clients see that we don’t take the work for granted, but we’re featuring it prominently across our own website.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed pretty well. We’re a little tough to manage in that regard. It’s an office of designers, so everyone has opinions and feelings about how to do things. One thing I was tasked with was trying to help herd internally, to try to keep us moving forward so the process didn’t get bogged down. Spry was always supportive, and they tried to communicate what we needed to be thinking about ahead of time.

They were understanding when one of our people had to travel on short notice, so we couldn’t get to a specific task. As a project-based business, we know it’s difficult to allocate resources to a project and the client isn’t responsive. They were always very good at understanding that and working with us. They always kept us up-to-date on the crucial tasks that we needed to plan for, which was great.

What did you find most impressive about Spry Digital?

I think the thing that we would focus on is their service and recognition with us, being open and willing to be challenged by other designers, even ones that are outside of their field. We had a collaborative approach with Spry, which was really great.

When we made suggestions, they made sure to inform us of any negatives in an approach, but as long as we had the information and still wanted that approach, they were willing to move forward. In our office, that was a really great level of things that helped people understand and know what we were doing. They didn’t tell us, “This is the way it needs to be.” They would take the path we wanted, but they made sure we knew when something would have an impact on SEO or another aspect of the site.

They were able to quickly get up to speed with how the lighting industry works, our marketing and production—how our business works. They quickly funneled some of those things into the website and the development of other components within the project.

Are there any areas Spry Digital could improve?

There were some struggles in communication with one of the early project managers, but that all seemed to work itself out. I wouldn’t say there’s been much that we struggled with or found fault with. Some of it was probably just dealing with us and our own internal issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am currently the marketing coordinator of a fundraising organization that raises money from private sources, such as corporations and individuals. Using these funds, we distribute grants to almost 70 organizations in our area. Our beneficiaries are mostly teachers and arts organizations. I manage our social media and update the website. I also oversee grant application, graphics for print materials, and other related tasks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spry Digital?

Since technology is rapidly changing, our website was getting out of date. We wanted to work with Spry Digital to build a website that was responsive on mobile, which was an issue with our old site. It needed more capabilities such as being easy to use on the back-end. The website also needed to be more visually appealing and more interesting for users. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spry Digital developed a new website for our organization, and the project took about nine months. Periodically, we would meet with them in person or via conference calls to discuss our needs. At first, we discussed our old website and what we liked and disliked about it. Then, we created a new map for an updated website. Spry Digital added a crowdfunding portal and a filler calendar to our new website. Aside from these additions, Spry Digital handled the logistics of getting users to sign up. They led the whole process of training, designing, and showing us all of the specifications. They worked with us as we uploaded content, found several bugs, and offered revisions for the site layout. They used Drupal to develop the site.

How did you come to work with Spry Digital?

One of the co-owners of Spry Digital is on our board, so we already had a very close relationship with her. She was very helpful and aware of our needs. Spry Digital made sure that our new website reflected our requirements. It was a personal relationship.

How much have you invested with Spry Digital?

We invested $50,000 to $200,000 with Spry Digital.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first met with Spry Digital in July of last year [2015]. Our website officially launched at the end of May or early June of this year [2016]. Spry Digital still provides technical support and updates for our website. They check in periodically just to make sure everything is going well. We're still in touch and, just recently they helped me out with a question about Google Analytics.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Everybody's happy with the updated site. Our board members love all the feedback for the calendar and the overall feel of the new site. I did a report a couple weeks ago about how our site activity has gone up. Since we've launched the new site, user activity has doubled – even tripled. This activity includes an increased number of visitors, longer time spent on the site by individual users, and more interaction. All of our numbers across the board have gone up. The blog is much better, and we're getting a lot more engagement. People visit the blog more and share posts about it on social media. Given all this great feedback, it's almost sad to see what our old website looked like in comparison.

How did Spry Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Spry Digital assigned a project manager to our project. Mary and I would coordinate frequently, depending on the project status. Sometimes, we talked almost every day, other times every other week. We would also have meetings once a month to discuss design concepts and the logic for moving through the site. We used Basecamp for discussions and often questions would pop up. Looking back, our initial timeline was quite ambitious. As we the project progressed, we realized that it would take longer. That was fine since we wanted to have a good website. Overall, I would say that communication with Spry Digital was very clear.

What did you find most impressive about Spry Digital?

I haven't done any other website launches, so I can't compare them to other organizations. But, we did have a great one-on-one experience with Spry Digital. They genuinely care about how everything's working and their support is very responsive. They followed up after the launch and asked us for feedback and any changes. Spry Digital has been able to catch bugs and let us know what happened and how to fix things. Spry Digital has just been great to work with, especially for a process that can be very challenging and drawn out.

Are there any areas Spry Digital could improve?

I didn't have a very clear set of expectations for a website launch. Looking back, I would've wanted a better sense of the full process and what each stage really meant. It was difficult to go in blind, and that was probably hard to communicate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a nonprofit organization located in St. Louis, Missouri. We do an afterschool program for girls in third through eighth grades. The program incorporates running and uses that plus a curriculum to teach self-esteem and confidence, making good choices, and standing up for yourself. We're part of a national organization, but we are our own entity here in St. Louis.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I'm the operations director, so I do the accounting, database, website, IT [information technology] and HR [human resources].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Spry Digital?

The first project that they did for us was moving our website hosting onto their host server and switching our email server to Google business apps. Then, we worked with them to build a new database in CiviCRM, so we could switch over from our old database. The most recent project was that they rebuilt our whole website.

Please describe the scope of their work.

The scope was mainly website design and development services. They also provide support for the website and for our database.

SOLUTION

What was your process in selecting Spry Digital?

They were actually recommended by someone else that we had worked with earlier. We got other recommendations and picked out a few companies to get quotes from. What we liked about Spry was that they could handle the database component because that was the first thing that we were really looking for. Our previous donor database had been getting really expensive, so we were looking for a new product. I think Spry is the only company in St. Louis that works on CiviCRM, so that's the reason we ultimately selected them. Also, it's a woman-owned business, and our nonprofit is all about empowering women, so that was also a factor.

Can you give a sense of the cost of the initiative?

The website redesign cost about $25,000.

What was the timeframe of their work for you?

We started working with them in the beginning of 2013, probably February or March. We are still currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

Their work on the database has been great. The product that they work with is free for nonprofits, and Spry has a lot of knowledge about how it works. So far, any time I've asked them if we can do a specific thing with CiviCRM, they've said that they could figure something out. That's been really great. Also, it's great that they're located here in St. Louis and that we can meet with them and talk with them in person.

In terms of the website, that whole process was great. Actually, it was kind of amazing. They really understood what we were saying about our users and the way that people use our site, and then they put together this design that was perfect. We hardly tweaked the design after they first presented it to us. It was just refreshing that they really understood what we wanted to do, because we don't know anything about website design. They were able to turn their understanding into something useful that looked great.

Is there anything unique or special about Spry Digital that really makes them stand out as compared with other companies?

I think the thing that stood out the most to me as compared with other companies we were working with before, is that their support is so great. First of all, because the website is hosted by them, they're watching on their end for problems and sometimes catch things in terms of the hosting before we even know about them. Anything else that has come up either with the database or the website, we just send their support an email. They either tell me how to fix it or, if it's something they have to fix on their end, they just do it. It's just been really nice to have real people on the other end watching out for what's happening with our website.

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

No, there really isn't. Any issues or delays were mostly due to things on our end, where we didn't give them enough information or didn't give it to them in a timely manner. The biggest projects were the database and the website, and both of those things, from the beginning to the end, were really well executed.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Probably to be reasonable in their expectations of when things will get done, to be realistic as to what they as the client will be able to fit in with the other things they're doing. When we were going into the website design, we wanted it done in a short period of time, and Spry, of course, said they could do it. But, then, we here in our office were so busy that it was difficult for us to actually get our parts done in a timely manner. I think just be reasonable about what they as the client can handle.