Want to know how to get out of the gate?  Here’s the skinny:

Phase I:  Let’s Talk

Pick up the phone and tell us what’s on your mind.  Talking is free and we’re happy to discuss ways you might improve tracking your data even if it doesn’t include us.  We’ll give you an honest assessment of whether a database is the right fit for your company – I mean, hey, we don’t want to slog away in the salt mines if it’s not going to help.

Things we’ll want to know include how many people work in the office, what kind of information they’re sharing, and what sort of paperwork is used to track it.  Is external data ever imported from email or online forms?  Does most of your information get passed around on paper or do you use spreadsheets and Word documents?  Do you receive material from business partners in the form of Excel files, or does it tend to come in the mail?  All of this will give us an idea of how you work.

Phase II:  Proposal

We’ll put together a plan, all the while shooting you questions to further hone our understanding of your workflow.  This includes examples of the documents you use so we can be certain we understand what’s going on.  At this point we’ll spend hours poring over the details – it’s kind of anthropological field research and you’re the native tribe.  After we’re certain we have a grip on your process, we’ll formulate a proposal, including a price tag for the entire project.  Here’s the cool thing about this phase:  it’s still totally free and there’s no commitment.

Phase III:  Design

If you decide to greenlight the proposal, we’ll get started on the real thing.  This means fleshing out the details and talking with others in your office about exactly how they do their job.  This is important stuff:  the broader our employee survey, the less likely there’ll be surprises down the road when changes are more complicated.

During this phase, we’ll regularly deliver mockups and alpha versions for you to test to ensure we’re on the right track.  Your feedback is the most important part of the process!  In a good database, form and function are completely integrated.  Making sure that both meet your expectations is the only way for us to complete the project successfully.

Phase IV:  Delivery

We’ll be delivering versions of the database throughout Phase III, but final delivery means getting you a completed system that’s up and flying.  If you have spreadsheets or other data that’s ready for import, we’ll make sure this is included in the database along with a quick-start guide, usernames, passwords and anything you need to hit the ground running from day 1.

And we won’t disappear from your life just yet.  To make sure everything’s running smoothly, we’ll be checking in and trouble-shooting to make sure you’re completely happy.  At no extra cost.  Meaning:  no one goes anywhere until we know we’ve delivered the goods.

Pricing

How much will it cost?  That’s impossible to say before the proposal is completed.  Once we have a clear idea of your needs, we’ll give you a detailed breakdown that includes soup-to-nuts design and software expenses.  Sometimes, depending on your organization’s IT infrastructure, we may recommend hardware upgrades as well.  But whatever the requirements, you’ll know the costs before development begins.  And often we can give an estimate after one conversation so you’ll know right off the bat whether this is something you’ll want to do.

In Sum...

The bottom line is:  a database could be a boon to your organization and it doesn’t cost anything to find out.  Call today and ask for Adam!  Operators are standing by:  (323) 662-9692