Verno System came to us needing their branding, business cards and website. We had 30 days to achieve all three. With such a short deadline we knew it was important to get the branding completed as quickly as possible. Within two weeks we were able to finalize the branding, general business card layout and website design. After that point it was a race to convert the mock ups to a functional website that the company could maintain themselves.

They wanted a website that could gain search engine ranking, be updated on a regular basis and grow with their company. To solve this problem we selected our favorite CMS… WordPress. We were able to launch their website within the 30 day deadline as well as train staff on how to use the CMS. Since the launch of the website Verno Systems has managed the website themselves.

After the launch of the WordPress website, they requested that we set up a wiki for the company to use. We worked with one of their representatives to set up a wiki that enabled them to securely collaborate and build knowledge bases.

Related Posts

1. Verno Systems
2. The Bitter Single Guy’s Relationship Advice
3. Mail Boss – Locking Security Mailboxes

Ferguson Merchandising approached us to improve their website for the Redmond Ben Franklin store. The had a static website with a couple hundred html pages. The website had been built over a long period of time. The code was very disorganized and no standardized structure between pages existed.

The first phase of the project was spent correcting the problems with the current website. Instead of trying to fix page by page of sloppy code we recoded a couple templates to cover the various page layouts. We then converted content from the old website to the new templates. In less than three week we were able to convert over 250 html pages, correct the functional, display errors and eliminating W3C validation errors.

The second phase of the project was to design a custom content management system (CMS) that enabled the company to take advantage of the web to drive customers to the store and generate sales. By analyzing their business we established that classes drive sales as well as projects. To achieve this goal we built a class calendar and registration system. We also included a projects section allowing people to browse projects by category and then print/download a PDF supplies list to be brought into the store. When a visitor views an individual project or class the site displaying three related projects and classes. By cross selling related projects and classes we anticipated increasing the number of classes and items purchased per visit. We also provided social bookmarking & networking buttons for visitors to submit projects to high traffic sites.

One of the unique features of the website is the XML template based page system. The company wanted the ability to create pages, insert different layouts without having to do any coding. We created a system that enables us to create simple xml files and upload them to a folder, adding new template options. This makes it quick, easy and cost effective to add new layouts. The layout templates include the ability to insert images, links and use a WYSIWIG. By providing this functionality it eliminated the need to hire website designers to modify or add new pages to company website.

Related Posts

1. Optimizing WordPress for SEO
2. Mail Boss – Locking Security Mailboxes
3. BE Aerospace

Northwoods Property Management approached us to solve a problem with their website. They had a static html site with over 120 different properties. With little to no budget for web development they needed an option that allowed them to manage property bookings, allow customers to book a property, manage customer information and track the phase of the sale.

One of the big restrictions was that they needed to integrate this functionality on their existing static html website. To solve this problem we built a back end that enabled them to manage their properties but also generated code that could be placed on corresponding property pages. This enabled them to add a property, take 2 lines of code that were auto-generated and place it on the corresponding html page for the property. This provided them with a quick and inexpensive solution to solve the property management problems they were experiencing with their web presence.

With very little money invested they had a system that allowed visitors to view availability of various properties, place a request to book a property. It also enabled office personal to manage properties, take phone orders and track the process of sales activity.

Related Posts

1. Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames
2. Verno Systems
3. Rational Treatment Services

With big ticket items the sales process can drag out for long periods of time. To help speed up the process we designed the prototype to limit the selection of different packages and options. This helped to ensure sales peoples wouldn’t sell a package or option that does not exist. Each sales representative has an account that uses their native language. They can create packages for potential customers with their own unique account. This enables the sales representative, the company and the potential client to adjust package configurations and options. When configuration changes are finalized this information generates a detailed report in the sales representatives, clients and company’s native languages. This helps to eliminate miss communication, increase accuracy and eliminate translation time.

Initially we planned to develop it as a web based application but decided to make it a desktop based application. This was selected because of the different access and connection speeds to the internet in countries where sales activities were being conducted. When a change is made that information is updated once an internet connection is made. This ensures that on or offline modifications can be made. It also eliminates the problem that other people involved in the sales process are not up to date on the most recent package and options selections.

This project never made it out of the prototyping phase, however it opened up our eyes to the application of technology to improve the flow of communication and eliminate mistakes/errors at the point of sales for large manufacturing companies.

Related Posts

No related posts.

Custom WordPress Plugins running on the website include a category list feature. The website displays the Course category by sub-categories. Each entry has the title of the sub-category and lists the five most recent posts in the sub-category.

The site also features a custom WordPress Plugin providing a members directory that allows for visitors to search an A to Z directory by name and location. It displays a profile photo, user info and the most recent posts by the user. The directory connects listings to the user profile provided by WordPress. Buddhist12Step also has a custom WordPress Plugin for an event calendar. It displays upcoming events in chronological order.

The forum for the site is powered via SimplePress. This provides a turn-key solution for the websites forum. This plugin integrates seamlessly with WordPress. Instead of spending time reworking other forum software to integrate and look visually similar, SimplePress provides that functionality without much work.

Related Posts

1. Tian Dayton – Emotional Sobriety
2. RecoveryView – An Online Journal
3. Optimizing WordPress for SEO

Tian had an older website that was not very visually appealing.The design was not optimized and a number of display problems existed  in various browsers. To enable her or an assistant to easily manage the website we set her up with a WordPress website. One of the goals was to make it easier to add new content and improve her search engine ranking. After setting up the WordPress website we loaded a few search engine optimization plugins to help improve her ranking.

We built two custom WordPress Plugins for her website. The first offers a scrolling image gallery to display her published books. When a user places their mouse over an image a box appears displaying more information. The images and descriptions displayed are controlled via a simple back end interface. This eliminates the hassle of updating and adding new information. The second WordPress Plugin rotates a single blog post from any number of selected categories. The Plugin selects the post in chronological order. When the Plugin reaches the most recent blog post it then changes the time stamp on the oldest post in the category to the current day. This enables the Plugin to continually cycle through content. In this case it displays over a years worth of daily affirmations.

Related Posts

1. RecoveryView – An Online Journal
2. Mail Boss – Locking Security Mailboxes
3. George DuWors – Motivation For Maintenance

Allen contacted us wanting a better looking website that provided an easy to use interface. To accommodate his needs we built a WordPress website with a custom WordPress theme. This enables him to easily update content. He can designate the category controlling what section of the website his new blog posts are displayed. By setting up specific sections for categories such as Events he is able to show his most recent events without having to know how to do any coding.

Related Posts

1. Buddhist12Step
2. Tian Dayton – Emotional Sobriety
3. George DuWors – Motivation For Maintenance

Patrick came to us wanting to improve his search engine ranking. He already had a decent website with a great amount of keyword rich  information on psychology, counseling, drugs and alcohol. We made a few visual modifications to the website, improved the assessment form, search engine optimized the pages and conducted extensive keyword research.

After conducting keyword research we selected a list of keywords we felt he could gain first page search engine rankings on Google, Yahoo and MSN. To maximize the conversion and minimize the competition we focused on geographic + specialty specific keywords helping improve his search engine ranking and conversion rates.

Related Posts

1. DL Scott – Personal Energy Mastery
2. George DuWors – Motivation For Maintenance
3. Dr. Richard Fields

Villareal a marketing company in Southern California wanted to build an online journal for professionals. After the initial discussion with the company we helped outline a website that would allow them to regularly publish a professional journal for drug and alcohol counselors, conduct mass emails, provide automated CE testing as well as collect a subscription membership fee.

To achieve these results we started with WordPress. We then integrated WordPress with PHPlist and AMEMBER. This provided the mass email and membership capabilities needed. Our team set out building a number of custom WordPress plugins for the website. This included an event calendar, job board, and professionals directory.

After completing these custom WordPress plugins we built the automated CE testing and certificate plugin. This allowed the Villareal team to choose an article, create a test with multiple choices or yes/no answers. When a user takes the test the plugin automatically calculates if they passed. If the user did not pass they have the option to retake the test or reread the article. When a test is passed the plugin automatically generates a signed PDF certificate populated with the users corresponding information. To comply with accreditation agency documentation requirements each users information and test results are stored. These can be easily exported via .CSV to provide the adequate documentation needed.

After over a year of operation the website is growing quickly with a number of members, an active community and a great resource of information for drug and alcohol counselors.

Related Posts

1. Tian Dayton – Emotional Sobriety
2. George DuWors – Motivation For Maintenance
3. Buddhist12Step

FACES Conferences of Bellevue operates a number of mental health CE conferences. The companies old website was from the late 90s with a very inadequate e commerce system.

We came in and set up an e commerce website for them using ZenCart. This provided them with an easy to use back end interface to accept payments, track sales and customer activity. We recently redesigned the website and will provide an updated overview of the new and improved site once it is completed.

Related Posts

1. Northwoods Property Management – Property Booking System
2. Mail Boss – Locking Security Mailboxes
3. Epoch By Design