Our relationship with the client began on a personal level. They had previously engaged another company for their IT needs, but the results were unsatisfactory. This client hires scouts who observe and take notes on students and then utilize this information as promotional content for colleges. Their previous approach required several key individuals to create brochures. They recognized the need for a technology play to allow them to reduce this burden and cost to scale more quickly and efficiently.
Identifying the Pain Points
The client struggled to aggregate information efficiently due to their technology and manual processes. They were using a legacy website that was not equipped to handle the volume of data they needed to process. Additionally, their method of manually producing PDFs in Adobe was time-consuming and labor-intensive. This inefficiency was further compounded by their need to handle vanity URLs, which their old technology could not manage effectively.
Moreover, their business required them to navigate complex privacy restrictions and overhead requirements associated with dealing with high school students. The combination of these factors significantly hindered their ability to gather, manage, and utilize their data effectively and efficiently.
Finding a Unique Solution for a Unique Situation
The challenges our client faced are not common across the industry but rather unique to their specific niche. Only two companies in the US offer similar services. However, our extensive experience in IT consulting equipped us to serve even such a distinct sector. We set out to deliver comprehensive technical and non-technical solutions to overcome the identified challenges and streamline operations.
The first step involved a ground-up rewrite of their legacy website. Our team worked diligently for nine months to create a more responsive, user-friendly, and mobile-optimized platform. We also created a custom-tailored PDF creation process, integrating it into the new system for seamless and efficient output. This allowed for greater flexibility and real-time updates as students continued to progress in their journeys.
In addition to these technical upgrades, we introduced a full suite of tools for scouts, students, and back-office staff. A key feature was the integration with MailChimp, which significantly improved communication by helping administrators and students stay informed and engaged to reach their target audience, college coaches. We became their outsourced IT team, handling all aspects of the application so they could focus on their core business.
Achieving Transformative Results
The rollout was smooth, with no major hiccups. The results were impressive: the client more than doubled their business within six months, using the same number of internal support staff. More importantly, the improved system enabled many students to realize their aspirations, proving that the investment in updated technology resulted in a larger payoff.
In a market that is so highly specialized, our partnership with this client has enabled us to prove our mettle and deliver remarkable results. We look forward to many more successful collaborations between the two of us in the coming years. With our expertise in custom software solutions and project management, we are confident that we will continue to provide innovative and comprehensive solutions for all their IT needs.
We are proud to have had the opportunity to work with this client and help them succeed in their mission of opening up opportunities for students from all walks of life. It is our privilege to contribute to a more equitable world, and we remain committed to making that vision a reality.
It is our goal to provide services that exceed industry standards and help our clients exceed their own expectations. We believe that technology should be an enabler, not a hindrance when it comes to achieving success. Our team of experienced professionals is here to ensure that happens with customized solutions for each unique situation.