Review on My Zen Planner's Integrated Website

If you didn't read about why we switched to an Integrated Website with Zen Planner, you can read that article.  This article however will be going over what it was actually like to hire them and work with them.

I am a self-professed Zen Planner fanboy, so I had very high expectations going into this process.  To sum up my experience in one sentence, I'd say that it was more work than I had anticipated on my part to get it the way that I wanted, but very worth it in the end to switch.

The Good

Good #1) The Zen Planner Team was organized

The website development team was so on top of it, that they had to wait around for me to get my act together.  They sent me a detailed list of everything they needed and everything they could take from our current site so that I could decide what to keep and what to change.

They sent me a long checklist of things to fill out which you should ask for prior to signing up ;)

Tip: Look at their demo sites, organize your photos, determine your navigation, and write all your content ahead of time to make sure you take advantage of their excitement to start in the beginning.

Good #2) The Zen Planner Team is super courteous, patient, and persistent

I am super picky with websites - partially I used to be a freelance web designer.  The guys and gals at Zen Planner kept on doing the changes without complaint (and continue to do so!).  I've counted about 17 pages of edits that I've sent them since they sent me the site design.  I put together a spreadsheet for them each time.

I admit it - I am a difficult website client, but Zen Planner has been wonderful at helping me out.

Good #3) The Zen Planner Team did a great job

I love the site and I know that I can keep sending in updates and modifications without being worried about it.  All the features are there.  The price is right.  The site is doing it's job already - making us money.

We have people walking in the door right now who have already signed up - and that is a wonderful thing!

Good #4) The Blog exceeded my expectations

I knew that it was a Wordpress blog, but I had no idea how awesome it was on the backend.  There is a great content editor and a few SEO type plugins that are incredibly helpful.

I can also create blog pages that I can link to within the site that will not look like blog pages.  This gives me the ability to make landing pages, etc to my delight.  Woot!

The Bad

Bad #1)  We didn't interact with a Designer

The actual web designers and developers are not the ones that were working on our website.  We interacted with a "copywriter" who can do the normal things that we all need (like replace images, format text, and add pages, etc), but they aren't the "designer" types.

Don't get me wrong - they do a great job at plugging things into the template, but they just don't have the "designer's eye".  If something looked off - they mostly did not notice it.  I must say however, they were patient and understanding when I had them fix those things - I just had to spell them out.

Here's an example of something a "Designer Type" would not let fly.
Leave a comment on what you see wrong (if anything).

Bad #2) Slow Backend Development Team

When I asked them to do something that was a little more difficult (ie: fixing the MX Records or the DNS settings), the changes might take 2 weeks to finish, unless I really hound my rep - who would then hound the Development Team.  I imagine that the "Development Team" is just one person and too busy to take a phone call, but I don't know as I've been unable to talk directly to anyone in that area.

Not being able to speak to the Development Team directly made for a nightmare at one point when our previous webhost pulled the plug our website unexpectedly before we were ready with the Zen Planner website.  Everything was down, including our email, and I couldn't talk to someone who knew what the solution was.

Conclusion

As I said, I went in with very high expectations and a lot of experience in the website world.  Whether you're like me or you know nothing about websites, I am confident that Zen Planner will take good care of you and do a great job.

My Wishlist for Integrated Website Changes:

I want - I want - I want!  Hahaha... I don't think I ask for too much.  Actually, yeah I do.  But if you like these ideas, perhaps you can rally with me and ask for them too!  Maybe these changes will happen - who knows.

1. I want to be able to edit my own Website!  I asked about this, but they told me that if they gave me permission to edit my site, I would also have the ability to edit all of their clients' websites.  /sad face/.
   
2. I want a contact form tactfully placed on every program page that enters the lead into Zen Planner as interested in a specific program without them having to choose that interest.  This is something that 97 Display does a great job of, and I may be able to find a work around for.
   
3. I want a better solution for signing people up for events and camps.  When I originally asked about this, they showed me a client's website that had found a creative way to list and sell these online.  That website has since moved away from Zen Planner.  Currently, the site is only good for selling trial memberships and giving away free classes.

You can see our new Santa Barbara Fitness and Martial Arts website for yourself, but keep in mind: I'm still working with the ZP team on some finishing touches.  I suppose it is just like martial arts or fitness training - we're never quite where we want to be, but we're always happy with what we're doing!