At TOMD, the web support team is at the heart of all digital operations. Matt, our Senior Web Support Specialist, and Charlie, our Web Support Specialist, have more than a decade’s experience between them. The duo specialise in building bespoke sites for clients and maintaining the hundreds of ready-to-use sites that we host. They work closely with our sister company Content Streams and our CTO to manage all of TOMD’s tech infrastructure.
From email campaigns to bespoke websites
So, what does a day in the life of the web support team look like? “Much of our time is spent providing support for website queries, email campaigns and email signatures. We also create videos and analytics reports – and deploy the content written by our in-house specialists to hundreds of sites every week” says Charlie.
In addition to this ‘bread-and-butter’ work, the pair thrive when managing bigger projects, most notably building bespoke websites for clients. New website projects kick off with “members from each team meeting with the client and spending time understanding their business, what they are trying to achieve, their values and what makes them different. At this stage, we take the time to be as thorough as possible, scheduling everything, from content writing and website design to website build and quality control, so that we can provide realistic timeframes to the client” says Matt. “We go above and beyond to deliver a quality website that meets the client’s requirements.”
Attention to the client’s unique requirements is key. “The best clients to work with are those who have a clear idea of what they want and need and can provide enough information for us to develop an extensive brief. We work hard to deliver exactly what each client wants – but if they don’t know, we work together as a team to help the client determine their requirements, it’s a collaborative process. We love working with people who value our opinion and take our recommendations on board, that’s where we add real value,” according to Matt.
Making clients’ vision a reality
The rewards of completing work to a high standard motivate the web support team in everything they do. When asked for the best thing about working on a big project, the answer is immediate, “Seeing the end product once finished!”
Charlie adds, “We are passionate about helping clients create a site they are proud to share.” During a long project, there are always twists and turns, “Making a breakthrough in a challenging project is hard to beat” says Matt, “I love that moment when a site starts coming together and you feel the client’s vision really coming into focus.”
Project highs and lows
To achieve the highs of a completed website, there are invariably a few bumps along the way. “For us,” says Matt, “the most challenging part of web building is delivering large projects on short deadlines, which is why we like to plan a clear schedule at the start. Creating a site to the standard we aim for takes time and patience.
“It’s important to communicate clearly. Many clients don’t have much technical knowledge – just as I don’t have a detailed understanding of financial planning, the law or accountancy! So, we need to ensure clients understand what is happening at each stage. In these cases, a bit of trust helps – for clients to understand that we are working in their best interests.”
Unsurprisingly, Matt and Charlie rank good communication as the main way clients can help their build run smoothly. “An extensive brief is crucial, as is honest feedback. If a client is unhappy or unsure about something at the start of the project, it’s better to tell us so we can refine and make the change early, rather than a few days before their new site is due to go live!”
Best builds?
Which projects fill the web support team with the most satisfaction? After building so many bespoke websites in the past five years, there are a lot to choose from.
“One of my favourites is Parkworth” says Matt. “This is one of our showcase sites and a popular site when providing our suite of examples to clients. It has a very professional, fresh and clean feel and works well with the photography that Parkworth had taken of their offices.”
The new TOMD website is obviously very satisfying on a personal level. “This was a big project and involved most of the team and, being a marketing company, everyone had a view! We’re delighted with the end result,” the pair say. “We’ve seen a big difference in engagement since the launch of the new site and we’re always upgrading the site where we can.”
“Insight Associates was one of my favourite sites, I was very proud of the end result,” adds Charlie “I was especially pleased with this site as it was large and had plenty of elements. We were able to meet a tight deadline and deliver the project on time for our client.”
The future is bright
There is much more to come for Matt and Charlie. “Being in a technical job role, you are learning every day as systems and tools are always evolving,” Charlie says. “We’re both keen to keep learning.”
“We’ve made a lot of progress on our journey,” Matt adds, “but there’s always more room to grow.”
To find out more about TOMD’s bespoke website service, visit our web page, get in touch by phone (01279 657 555) or email (marketing@tomd.co.uk). You might also like to read our blog ‘A website is not enough.’
