To save our customers time and money, we continually refine our Custom Website Build process, as well as use project management tools to keep communications with our customers, and project tasks, tidy and efficient.
✔️ Sketch
Our designer Rachel Cunliffe uses this tool to present the design templates for a website-in-progress to the entire team. She will often ask questions and make recommendations.
It’s here that a lot of the hard work is done before the site goes to coding: Photos get updated or changed, as does copy.
What I like about Sketch is that it lets you see the pages in storyboard format. The image shows the Huff Industrial Marketing website redesign in progress.
✔️ Google Doc
All copy changes are made in a Google Doc, which we keep updated at all times; this copy is then uploaded to WordPress as the site is coded.
✔️ Basecamp
All discussion about the project takes place in Basecamp — a tool that eliminates things getting lost in long email chains and helps everyone on the team, including the customer’s sales and marketing people, stay focused and on track.
Basecamp also lets our customers communicate with anyone on the team, at any time. Basically, we don’t have an “account manager,” which keeps costs low and reduces all the back and forth.
Why is project management and the tools used so important?
Over the years, I’ve seen how various designers work. Some have had amazing processes, others not so good. The not-so-good lead to very painful workflows and outcomes.
The worst story I’ve heard in a long time was from a VP of Sales and Marketing. He had been working until 2:00 AM for several nights — trying to make edits to website copy. (This was on top of his very full day.)
The problem: the web designer had sent him PDFs. He called asking for help.
Looking at the PDFs, I could see the problem immediately. I asked, “Did you get a Word or Google Doc with all the copy before the design process started?” He said no. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help. The copy actually required a great deal of revision, and doing it inside a PDF was simply unfathomable.
Designing a website is a lot of work. Our goal is to make the process as easy — and efficient — as possible for you.
If you’re not getting the results you want from your manufacturing website — let’s talk! Call 603-382-8093 or complete our RFQ form.
