SERVICES (listed in no specific order)
We offer all of the following services, but feel free to pick and choose only the ones you want us to provide for you. We do not take offense if you have other resources to complete other aspects of your project. We have worked on a wide variety of software platforms and content management systems (CMS), way too many to list here and some of which are now obsolete. Let us know what you are using and just ask us if you have any questions. If we can’t help you with your project we might be able recommend someone who can.
GENERAL PROGRAMMING:
The majority of this work involves working with your website and building/rebuilding it from scratch, adding functionality to it or by providing updates/enhancements from time to time. Typically we have done this using the WordPress CMS (but there are plenty of others), as this allows a friendly interface for you to go in and make changes to the system yourself if desired after we have completed it. We can also procure, edit and manipulate all types of graphic images if you need any changes made to them.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
(1) If we have to work with other parties (as your representative) during a project we basically bill when we have to attend meetings and and facilitate communications.
(2) Alternatively, we can act solely as your PM (project manager) for your project to make sure you stay on schedule, are getting what you asked for and are not getting the wool pulled over your eyes. This is also something we do when we sub-contract out any work we are not able to complete in-house.
In either of the above situations, we are there to support you, answer all your questions, clarify and explain most of the technical jargon that comes with the information technology (IT) industry.
HOSTING & DOMAIN MANAGEMENT:
There are too many different scenarios to cover them all here, but basically we can monitor, maintain, upgrade and backup your web server(s) for you/your company. We can also manage your domain (website) names, DNS entries, communication requests, backups and new registrations so you do not have too. Ultimately this means you would be able to call us directly instead of trying go through some providers call center black hole.
REMOTE TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
Solving random technical problems for you or your staff. We can support and teach staff members ‘the basics’ on how to make their software (Word/Excel/Acrobat) or computer (PC/MAC/Linux) function they way they want it too.
RATES
We have never understood why everyone does not post their rates upfront for people to consider. We feel that it’s deceptive to hide this information or not be open about it. We bill in 15 minutes increments and may include travel time to your location and back if outside our normal service radius. After hours and weekend service rates are billed at 1.5x the normal rate, holidays are billed at 2x.
GENERAL HOURLY RATE: 105.00hr
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: 75.00hr
REMOTE TECHNICAL SUPPORT: 50.00hr
DATA ENTRY/CONVERSION: 25.00hr
ABOUT OUR RATES
Almost all of our rates are usually in the ‘middle of the road’ or slightly lower. This has nothing to do with the quality of work you will receive. It is because we don’t own a 20,000 sq. foot building, have a bunch of executive staff collecting a paycheck or paying out a large sales staffs commission (i.e. less overhead). Ironically we have had clients go with another (larger/expensive) firm only to have that firm sub-contact the exact same job back out to us. When we sub-contract to larger firms, we usually give them a 10% price discount on our services, because they closed the contract, went to all the meetings and planned it all out. So in this particular scenario, the client (stated above) ended up paying 40% more for the project and we ended up making 10% less and they ended up with the exact same product they would of got by going directly through us. It is unfortunate but it happens all the time in this industry.
KNOW YOUR BUDGET
It is extremely helpful and saves a lot of time if you show up with a general budget in mind. This lets us know what item(s) on your ‘wish list’ we may need to remove if it will push you over your budget. If you have no clue what something costs, we can give you an instant idea after you describe your project to us. We estimate all of our projects using the following matrix.
less than 1,000
1,000 to 2,500
2,500 to 5,000
5,000 to 10,000
10,000 to 25,000
25,000 to 50,000
50,000+
We are not a used car sales lot which means it’s not the first person to say a price loses. If you have a 5k budget and we think your project will cost 2k we are not going to ‘pad’ our estimate. You can either save your money, or perhaps add some additional functionality to your project if you desire. We know everybody wants the best possible product for the least expensive price. We don’t pull any punches, so we expect you to be up front with us as well. We are all in this together.
FIXED BID PROJECTS
Most of our projects are billed on our hourly fee schedule also known as ‘time and materials’. For us to quote you for a ‘fixed’ or ‘not to exceed’ price we require a few things.
(1) You must know exactly what you are looking for and what you are expecting.
(2) There must be detailed documentation on ‘how it works’ along with possible ‘what if’ scenarios.
(3) You must have mock-ups and/or wire frames for all screens. If you want a we can draw up all these documents for you (for a price) and then we will give you a fixed bid, you can also take this packet around to other development firms and get quotes from them as well.