Evermore

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

NucNet is a Brussels-based independent news agency and information network for the global nuclear energy industry. It is registered in Belgium as a non-governmental non-profit association (‘association sans but lucratif’ or a.s.b.l.). NcNet operates a 24/7 service reporting nuclear-related news about the operation and construction of nuclear power stations, policies affecting the nuclear industry, nuclear safety and security, emerging nuclear technologies and the safe use of ionising radiation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evermore?

NucNet entrusted Evermore with a complete redesign of our website, brand, newsletters and back-end system.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a modern, up-to-date, website look and back-end functionality - essential for the competitive environment for online media outlets.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Evermore after a process of analyzing three vendors, which took half a year.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

NucNet needed: - Compete rebranding, including logo change - New front-end look and functionality - New back-end CMS and CRM functionality - Migration of editorial and contact database from a Microsoft-based system to an Amazon-based one. Tasks included: • Content architecture • Digital strategy • User research • Design • Branding • Responsive website development • Content management system • Integration with a CRM solution • Development of a newsletter sending service • Quality assurance The whole process started with a workshop that took place in NucNet’s offices in Brussels. It was then followed by an in-depth analysis of their users and definition of the key metrics for success, which in their case is the number of new subscribers and the churn rate.

What was the team composition?

Evermore provided a project leader, front-end designer, and two full-time developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the first month after the launch, the number of new subscriptions tripled compared to last year’s total. In the first two months of 2020, we had more site visits than the whole of 2019 - an ever growing online presence.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

From the onset, the Evermore team grasped the essence of what we needed and quickly offered fresh ideas and solutions we hadn’t even considered. They also managed a substantial database migration and completed the project in the most professional and flexible manner. We had a set of complex requirements which kept expanding during the development process, but Evermore delivered on all with ease, patience, creativity and understanding. Communication with the Evermore team was never a problem. We will keep on working with them even after the successful completion of our mutual project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ease of communications, flexibility, eagerness to find solutions, pro-active project management, technically competent, never complained.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Perhaps a bit more attention needed for bug-catching during the development phase.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m part of a nonprofit that promotes scientific outreach to children, specifically about space science.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evermore?

We needed development of a multilingual platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the solution operational in time for a video contest in four months.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them based on their reputation for web development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed a backend system for admin access and a frontend web interface. The frontend’s simple concept and graphic design were optimal for use by children.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The pilot version of the contest was successful thanks to the support of the platform.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

All of the development was remote, and we communicated with our point of contact through Skype. Our coordination was very effective. They worked in an agile method.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They took action quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The platform requires a thorough explanation, but other than that, we’re satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Lund University in Sweden. More specifically, I am currently in charge of a research group called Comparative Literature. I’m part of a small group of research scholars who wanted to create research solidarity within our school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evermore?

We hired them to construct websites for research purposes as part of a university initiative. We’re the first cross-section, cross-disciplinary research group. We wanted an online business card, and a tool for organizing and disseminating research information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

A friend recommended them to us. We got in touch with them and had an initial face-to-face meeting, during which they gave us a list of questions about our needs, our objectives, and the main function of the site. We gave detailed descriptions, even though we weren’t sure about the technical feasibility of the product since we weren’t familiar with IT services. After hearing about the things we wanted to do, Evermore offered us functional solutions.

They questioned us a lot about known competitors and asked whether we had any models to follow. We coudln't answer this, so we did some research and thought more strategically about the market. We are a small group of researchers within a university, so the economic aspects of the product mattered less. We then formalized the pages, chose color palettes, and passed things on to the design team.

The main function of the site is to introduce our research group. It also works as a source of news, informing our followers about events and activities, and allows us to organize our own activities as well. We conduct our own research projects, provide information about seminars, and collect information about comparative literature. The site acts as a knowledge-sharing network featuring colleagues within our university and internationally.

The functionalities and database we required were probably less demanding than many proper business solutions. It’s an online business card for other people to get in touch with us for potential collaborations. We had a test run in the beginning. We’ve updated the site a few times since its launch and changed certain pages to meet our needs. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve had close contact with two people from their team. Based on the number of people who have access to our administration portal, I believe that Evermore assigned five people to our project. We’ve worked directly with their project manager, who passed on relevant information to the designated resources.

How did you come to work with Evermore?

We found them through a friend’s recommendation. We weren’t sure what a collaboration like this would be like, since no one in our group had worked with web design companies. At the same time, we didn’t have a massive budget in the beginning to contact bigger and better-known companies. It was just a small trial. We were looking for a provider that worked with small startups and businesses.

I got to know Evermore’s marketing representative and looked at their past work. They were a relatively young group, and they were quite enthusiastic about our project. The scale and experience of the company already made them a suitable choice. We didn’t consciously compare their offer to those from other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been €5,000–€8,000 ($5,833–$9,333 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Evermore from June to October 2017, then signed up for another year of maintenance work. We’ve made some minor page modifications as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone in our research group has been extremely impressed by the design of the website and the services provided. Evermore was very quick to reply to our questions and modification requests, and patient in training us after passing off administration of the site. None of us were IT-savvy, but they trained us through Skype and guided us through the website’s various functions.

The site helped us consolidate our online identity. We’ve had quite a few international scholars give talks at our university. Having a website like this has definitely helped convince them to come, since it showed them who had already been here and what topics had been addressed. It has made a huge difference in the way we present ourselves.

Our audience is fellows and colleagues more than investors and clients. Evermore has helped us expand and consolidate not only our identity, but also our professional network. People who were impressed with our work and online presence have started to contact us. They want to use our platform for announcements and promotional activities about their own publications or books.

How did Evermore perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is done through Skype or email, and we also use Basecamp for collaborative work. They were quick to reply to messages and questions. Since we didn’t know how IT projects were run, we expected to progress slightly faster in the beginning. We set a deadline at the later stages of the discussion, once they were sure exactly what was involved. Once we had that, everything was done according to the schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were approachable, especially their marketing official. The whole organization was very professional. We didn’t have business experience, but they improved our marketing, visibility, and online presence. They helped us rethink how we reach out to people.

Apart from their organizational competence and efficiency, and their speed in replying to our inquiries, I was most impressed with Evermore’s ability to help us think about the online space in a more businesslike way. We weren't expecting that.

In the beginning, we gave them some ideas to put into a product. Evermore asked us a lot of questions about goals, clickthrough rates, and competitors. We've learned quite a few things from their business mindset.