SOLTECH

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an online training database that helps educate foster parents and foster kids. Our goal is to make the foster care experience more positive and efficient for the parents, children, and workers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SOLTECH?

We hired SOLTECH to help us learn about Learning Management Software (LMS). The current training protocols for foster parents are cumbersome and somewhat outdated, so we needed to use LMS to make it faster, cheaper, and more efficient. I also turned to the team to tailor the software to meet my specific needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came across an LMS that was affordable, easy to use, and provided good customer service. After I set it up and put in about 220 courses and testing materials, I realized that there were some copyright issues. SOLTECH stepped in to help handle that.

I also needed the team to integrate reporting on the LMS, specifically designed for the type of training that I provide and for the individuals that I’m teaching. We worked together to lay out a design and ended up with three options. SOLTECH went ahead and worked on the one that I chose. They built it out, tested it, and gathered my feedback on it. 

Once everything was finished, the WordPress plug-ins were sent to me along with training videos on how to use them. To this day, I still contact the team for assistance on certain things such as the hosting service. They get involved anytime there’s an issue or walk me through the process if something is easy enough for me to resolve myself. 

What is the team composition?

Ann (Director of Business Development) was the person that I usually contacted. She was there from the beginning. Vicki (Director of Finance) handled billing while Daniel (Software Engineer) and John (Software Engineer) took charge of the plug-in development. 

How did you come to work with SOLTECH?

When I realized that the solution to my problem would be to tailor the LMS, I started looking for the top five agencies within our area who could help me do this. SOLTECH came up in that search and was the only provider that was willing to cater to my one-person operation.

I also saw that SOLTECH had received all kinds of awards, which was reassuring. They sat me down, tried to understand what I needed, and explained what they could do for me and what my options were based on my budget, so I hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $6,000–$7,000  for the plug-in. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in February 2021. I still keep in touch with the team and they’re still helping me through some issues that crop up on the LMS.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SOLTECH was very gracious and accommodating. Even though I had a small-scale business, they treated me like I was a Fortune 500 company. They were able to deliver on what I needed even with the limited budget that I had. 

How did SOLTECH perform from a project management standpoint?

We got in touch through email and phone. During the initial stages of the project, we also did Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service was impressive and I learned so much from working with them. They were just enjoyable to work with, and the fact that we shared common interests added to that experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of one thing that they could have done differently. The project was challenging but they were helpful and encouraging throughout. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to get your ideas together especially if you're not tech-savvy and need something built from the ground up. Do the work to have all the information ready around what you need out of your software. SOLTECH is really good at communicating back-and-forth, so engage in that as well. Be open to their suggestions, too, because they’re good at determining workarounds and alternatives.