Case Study: Virtuance — It’s all about user experience
If you had visited our office on September 2, you would have heard “Virtuance is live!” cheered through the office. The Virtuance website is a “big mamma jamma” that we went above and beyond for – perfecting every step with expert strategy, wowing user experience, and foolproof function. We are proud to have brought such a great site to such a great customer – Virtuance Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Corn.
Jeff Corn and the Creepy Bar
Jeff first met GetUWired’s CEO Melissa Allen and Lead Developer Bobby Brown at Infusionsoft ICON in 2014.
“We invited him out to dinner, and he took us to this really shady ale house that we had to walk miles out of town, in the dark, to get to,” said Melissa. “We still kid him about it. We were like, ‘WHERE are you taking us, Jeff?’”
Mind-Blowing Real Estate Photography
Jeff told Melissa and Bobby all about his company, Virtuance, which is a real estate photography firm that does more than just take pictures. Virtuance uses its proprietary HDReal® imaging system to produce vivid, engaging images specifically designed to sell real estate. Virtuance’s photos are proven to result in more listings, more showings and faster sales than traditional photos.
Check out their website at www.virtuance.com and take a look at their photos and user experience versus competitors. You’ll be amazed at the difference. We were!
The Ordering Abyss
So Jeff obviously had the whole “incredible business” thing taken care of, but his website (particularly the ordering process) was in need of some help. Virtuance offers many different pricing plans and options to allow customers to customize their offerings, but with so many options, the ordering process was too confusing for customers.
Jeff, being absolutely dedicated to giving the customer an incredible user experience, had to do something. So he came to us.
User Experience is #1
Starting in May 2014, Project Manager John Crocker and his team, working closely with Jeff, developed a strategy for the Virtuance website focused on one thing – providing an easy, rewarding user experience to every client, every time. Jeff wanted to make sure his clients would feel welcomed and comfortable every step of the way.
Southern Hospitality, Internet Style
This was no small task. Virtuance offers a plethora of customizable package options. Which is great for clients, because they can tailor their package to exactly what they need. But for a web developer, all those options were tough to juggle.
To help clients progress through the ordering process, we broke the package building process into three sections:
- First, clients input the property address. Everything about the ordering process is customized by location, so the system adds or eliminates features based on the property location.
- Then, the customer chooses between twilight photos or daylight photos. Prices are shown at this time to set the buyer at ease. Everybody loves upfront pricing.
- Next, the customer chooses HDReal® Enhancements such as panoramas, interactive floor plans, and neighborhood photos. There are dropdown price charts for each, so customers can choose exactly how many of each enhancement they would like and see the price instantly for what they’ve chosen. Each option also has a “learn more” button so clients can see exactly what they’re getting.
- Then, they choose Marketing Enhancements such as the social media package, YouTube video or brochures.
- In the next steps, customers are asked questions about their property and what they think should be highlighted in the photos and videos.
- They input their contact info, credit card information, and scheduling preferences, and they’re done! Virtuance contacts them to nail down the appointment time and details.
100% Custom Everything
Developer Edwin Chui was responsible for building the Virtuance site’s amazing shopping cart 100% from scratch. The solutions Virtuance needed didn’t exist in any kind of affordable solution, so Edwin just built them himself! (We’re big on self-sufficiency around here).
Beefing up every facet – For better conversions and UX
Every place where normal functionality would do the job on the site, we’ve added that “little something extra” to make the customer experience even better and to increase conversions. We made sure to eliminate extra steps at every stage of the ordering process.
For example, if a customer toggles over the “Add Social Media” button, they are instantly asked to input their login credentials. That way, they never have to do it again (saving time and frustration), and they don’t have to come back in and log in at a later time to add in the creds (one less thing to remember, am I right?).
What Jeff Has to Say
“The GUW [GetUWired] team spent as much time working to understand our business as they did coding,” says Jeff Corn. “It is this level of understanding that allows them to act as a true development partner instead of simply a vendor. Their level of expertise and diligence is top-notch and would be an asset to any business that wants to take their web presence to the next level.”
What’s Next for Virtuance?
The new website and shopping cart were just Phase 1 for the Virtuance project. In Phase 2, we’re going to be designing and implementing a Refer-A-Friend campaign and adding some new pages to the site. Phase 3 will allow Virtuance’s clients to schedule online in real time and Phase 4 will be a real-time stats dashboard with data such as sales, revenue, appointments scheduled, goals, etc. for the benefit of Virutance’s team.
Need a website as custom as your business?
Give GetUWired a call today at 877-236-9094 or visit us online at www.GetUWired.com.