Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
I won a very large job merely because of optimizing of one particular search term that probably no one else did – it was a very large contract. I joke with them that one contract paid for probably 10 years of their services. It was a home run. I probably shouldn't have told them, but I did. I said it was just one thing – somebody saw us on the web. We focus on just a couple of little things that have a higher margin of work, and I get a couple of calls a year on them. I know it's from the website.
How did TECKpert perform from a project management standpoint?
TECKpert are very hands-on. They have a number of qualified project managers, and I like it that they assign one relationship manager – one person that will work with us throughout an entire project.
They use Basecamp, which I like. For example, right now we're working on totally revamping one of my sites, so all of the content I'm assigned comes on Basecamp. I can use it to upload copy quickly. Basecamp provides daily updates. It's really useful.
What did you find most impressive about TECKpert?
The first thing is very much an intangible – the people at TECKpert are excited about what we do. Either they're good at pretending or they are interested – either way, it works for me. They understand our product. They understand what we do. They're really into it.
TECKpert is not just a web development company. They're truly an online marketing company. I didn't know anything about AdWords and how to spend my money wisely. I can pop into TECKpert's office anytime, sit down, and they'll explain those things to me. I'm definitely not tech-savvy, but I feel the money I'm spending is being spent wisely because I can see results.
I can see what's happening on our site. There's a lot of transparency. If something's up or down, I see it on their reporting, which is awesome. Their reporting is web-based so I can get on anytime and see live what's going on with my site. I guess they tag into Google Analytics, and then reformat it. It's much more useful than just looking at Google Analytics – it's pretty cool.
They're open to anything. Right now, I have a project where I have them doing a technical manual for me, which I wouldn't normally dream of having a web developer do. They've been doing this for years with me, actually helping me write a technical manual and formatting it to match the website, which would've been difficult for me to do. They'll get the manual to a certain point, then I'll be able to edit it, and we can go back and forth. They've been with us long enough that they know what I do. I don't think I would trust anybody else to do a technical manual for me, but I can utilize them as an out-of-office resource.
It's almost like bringing on a full-time employee with all the value of that kind of relationship. That's how I looked at it when I looked at my budget and said this is a big step for us. It's a decent expense, but it's completely justified when I look at what's happening with our brand and how I've been able to differentiate myself. We're well known because of the work of TECKpert. We are looked to by many people in the business as the standard. I go to various peer conventions and people ask who we use and what we're doing and how did you do that. They realize that it took a lot of work to do this right.
Their insistence on content is also very much appreciated. It's not just AdWords. They push me to make sure we're putting out more and more content. They understand how that relates to search and having a relevant site, so they help me with that content a lot. I'll provide the barebones, and they'll take it the rest of the way for me.
TECKpert's design is top-notch. Everything they've come up with on the sites I've never needed to tweak – and I'm picky. I might change minor things a little bit, but their design sense is very professional. They designed all my logos, colors, schemes, everything on the site, and I've never had to say I don't like this. I think we just mesh in that way.
Are there any areas TECKpert could improve?
No. Even during the process of writing the technical manual, they continued to learn about us and understand us even more. I don't have anything that I'd say they could improve. They're always accessible.
In their continued, long-term relationship, the team has elevated more than 80% of the existing site with new, robust features and functionalities. Despite the many changes requested by the client during development, they consistently delivered on time and within budget, impressing all involved.