Kyle Smith Joins the TAI Team

We are excited to announce the arrival of Kyle Smith, Front End Design/Development intern! Kyle is an award-winning student designer (two Addy’s this year) currently completing his last semester in the Graphic Communication program at Truckee Meadows Community College.  He has hit the ground running and spent this week working on everything from wireframes, to HTML/CSS tweaks, to banner ads. We also tossed him a good measure of tedious data scrubbing, just enough to get the flavor of working on a real eCommerce project. His internship goals include working on JQuery, Ruby and PHP code and collaborative design work. Luckily, he’s in the right place for all that, and we hope he concludes his internship having gained exposure and experience in all his interests. You can check out his personal website and portfolio on his own website, here.

Welcome, Kyle!

Interviews and Projects and Meetings, Oh My!

What can we say… we’ve been swamped.  We thought we’d check in to say we’ve closed the initial application and first interview rounds for our newest team member: Client Services Assistant. This individual will be following in the footsteps of Nicole, who has moved on to other things, but who left a great foundation to build on.

Can we take a minute to say we are grateful, and very, very fortunate, to have met some outstanding applicants. We haven’t even started second interviews yet, but have been thoroughly enjoying meeting some great folks.

We wish we could say more, but give us a couple weeks, and we’ll have some good news. Over and out.

Enterprise Systems Integration Project Launched This Week, Mission: Possible!

We can’t screenshot it, and due to the business-process nature of the project for our client, we can’t really give many technical details, but we want you to know about our latest project.

The project isn’t a website launch or a custom web application, it’s a systems integration that helps a national manufacturing company leverage their existing internal sales and logistics systems in a whole new way.

If you are reading this and don’t know what “systems integration” actually might mean, here’s the short version. Most (all?) mid-to-large manufacturers use an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system to manage the logistics of their sales, manufacturing, and distribution. Most (all?) also use a CRM (customer relationship management) system to manage sales leads, customer accounts, and quotes.  This company uses Microsoft Dynamics AX as their ERP, and Saleforce.com as their CRM. They hired us to make those two systems talk to each other, in real-time, in order to build themselves a more customized system and improve efficiency company-wide.

And, stepping into that place where traditional IT analysts and web developers both usually fear to tread, we did it.

We’re pretty proud of it. The client’s sales team can now use Salesforce to access real-time product information and build accurate and meaningful quotes. Once the quotes are sold, the workflow moves seamlessly over into AX  and the order begins to be filled. Now, if your company sells, makes, and then ships products, can you think about how useful something like this could be? An ERP system can be a poor match for the needs of sales…  side note: one of our team experienced using SAP as a sales rep once, and it was scary … and a CRM usually has nothing to do with the real logistics of manufacturing and delivery. But, different systems tooled to different needs, talking to each other in a harmony – that’s business magic.

On another note, the Reno team enjoyed having Patrick here in the office this past week. We think he appreciated an escape from the snow in Anchorage. We took the opportunity to do a little planning, a mission refresh, some navigation as we round the first turn of 2012. Here’s our shiny new mission statement –  nothing considerable has changed, core values still stand and always will, except we think we know ourselves a bit better than we did back in 2007:

Trinity Applied Internet provides businesses with expert client-centered design, development, systems integration, content management and online business intelligence, exceeding the wildest goals and contributing to the outstanding success of clients and team members alike, with respect and integrity.

And…We’re Up! Trinity Applied Internet’s New Home!

Excuse the exclamation points, we know they’re not all super-professional marketeer-suaveish or anything like that, but we are super excited.

!!!!! Squee !!!!!

After a solid six years working remotely out of four different home office locations, we now have a tidy and smart little office space to call home. It’s at:

305 Edison Way, Reno

It was a little rough around the edges before we arrived, but after painting, carpeting and trim work, it’s looking pretty snazzy.

Outside…

Inside…Erin’s office. Note the freight truck passing.

The Conference Room. Thank you to Cartbarn, for the loan of some very comfortable chairs.

Besides giving you some pictures, and an invitation to come by for a tour and cup of coffee at any point, we have a few things we really love about this place, and some important reasons this location suits us, and by extension our clients, so well.

First, we are within shouting distance to the coolest golf-cart and golf-cart accessories establishment on the West Coast – The Cartbarn! In fact, we’re in the upper floor of their office/warehouse. How’s that for local, family businesses supporting each other? It can be said we do love the folks we are so fortunate to work with.

Second, and really most importantly, we are in the heart of Reno’s long-established infastructure, manufacturing, and logistics core. Our immediate neighbors are NV Energy, Reno Fire Department, Washoe County School District, Truckee Meadows Community College. We’re within walking distance of multiple distribution centers, technology manufacturers, and the Reno Tahoe International Airport runway.

Not only are these companies our client base, they are a great metaphor for what Trinity Applied Internet does differently than shiny agencies in high-rise buildings. Now we love shiny agencies as much as the next guy, they rock, but when they need the custom platform, backbone, and a solid foundation, they come to us. We code the grid, as it were, and just we’re as proud of our working-class systems integration and rapid prototyping work, as we are of our best marketing website.

So, come on down and take a peek! We’re excited to share the GIANT freight trucks rolling by outside our picture windows, the totally awesome late sixties/early seventies architecture of our space, and the energy and zen of getting significant work done.

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming…in weeks to come we have Google mixing it all up again, some new staff introductions, and some educational thoughts on native vs. app-based mobile development.

Server Technology’s Custom Ruby CMS Gets A Makeover

TAI Launches Another Custom Ruby CMS Website for Server Technology

Time to toot our own horn, again! We are excited to announce we’ve finished another version of Server Technology’s custom-built Ruby on Rails content management system, complete with a sharp and professional front-end redesign. The new website features a Product Selector application designed for sales, a simple but powerful back-end admin area designed for marketing, and a comprehensive products database that stores everything from datasheets to engineering schematics, designed for a global manufacturer on the forefront of their industry. Trinity Applied Internet has been Server Technology’s applications solutions provider going on five years now, and we are proud to say their website’s next generation is built to last for many more.

In other news, we have moved into our new space and have some other interesting changes on the horizon, so stay tuned in the next week or two for more on that!

What Do You Think is the Most Important Thing to Know Going Into a Website Redesign?

This week, we’d like to pose a question, or two. We are working on our own website redesign, and it’s fun to be on the other side of the design process for a change. We’re wondering, for those of you who have built or redesigned your site lately, what hints, tips or tricks did you take away from the experience?

What is the most important thing you have learned about your website? What piece of detail ended up worth it’s virtual weight in gold? What would you recommend to someone embarking on their own website redesign.

We know there are at least a few of you out there. Leave a comment! Be chatty! Or, if you aren’t the social type, take this as a recommendation to talk to some experienced friends or peers and get their thoughts while you are considering a project of your own…

(Editor’s note: If you are reading this from the main blog page, be sure and click through to the post to read the comments!)

TAI Extends Client Websites With Both Third-Party and Custom WordPress Plug-ins

Last week saw the launch of another Trinity Applied Internet custom WordPress website for northern Nevada short sale and foreclosure experts GreenStreet Realty. It features the new custom sidebars plug-in Patrick is getting ready to release to the WordPress open source code base, allowing for each section, or even each individual page, to carry a completely separate set of widgets in the sidebar. This allows the template to be infinitely more flexible and takes WordPress one step further towards being able to handle content like big brothers Joomla! and Drupal.

We also got the opportunity to play around with the IDX integration piece offered by GreenStreet’s MLS listings vendor, and are happy to report it was smooth sailing. The listings appear in various places throughout the site, and can be searched from the sidebar widget. Clicking a property listing brings the user to GreenStreet’s results page which is actually external to the website, an integration that looks seamless to the user.

Our content department (Erin, Nicole, and for layout, Rachel) contributed extensively to this project as well, with support including social media set-up, research and copywriting. And, there’s more to come! Stay posted for more exciting project updates…

What’s It Like Working With Trinity Applied Internet? Ready and Waiting for Your Call!

Part C: Ready and Waiting!

We feel that availability and efficient communication are central to web development and technical applications consulting. So we’re here. Pretty much always. From the real person who answers the phone every time it rings during business hours (thanks Nicole!) to a prompt email reply from Keith, to Patrick, who knows the minute there’s even a hiccup on your server even at 2 am on a Sunday, we are here. Just ask us.

Aside from being available, we go one step further and consider it our job, not yours, to do all the legwork. The nature of software and the web, and especially error-reporting, is that there are always a multitude of questions. It is written company policy here that it is not the client’s job to figure out all the finer points before they approach us with an issue. We’ll ask you which browser you are in. If it is a particularly tricky issue we may ask you for a screenshot. But like any good professional consulting and development firm, if you don’t have the answers we will leave it at that. We take your report, employ our robust issue tracking system and our cross-browser testing software, and come back to you with what the trouble is and what can be done to fix it.

Oh, and it is fitting to also tell you that as far as the details go, we will take care of them. Ever get caught in what seems like an endless loop of email back and forth? Communications are streamlined and efficiency is served when the responsibility for fact-checking, looking at the system one more time, logging in and checking the orders in your shopping cart for the tenth time, falls to one person. That “person” is us, whichever member of the team here you happen to be talking to.

We can’t claim perfection in these goals (who can?) but we do strive toward them each and every day and with every client interaction. When we are working on deadline and the impulse is to shortcut, we remind ourselves. We hope it leads to a smooth and engaging experience for our clients, and we take pride in hearing positive feedback in this regard from clients.

Earlier this month, we received a lovely letter in the mail from Beth Wells, Executive Director of the NV STEM Education Coalition. “Our website (ed. note: and its custom WordPress regional events calendar module) has garnered positive feedback and has contributed to the amazing growth in support for the Coalition this year. Erin’s training and Nicole’s patient support and training in keeping the website up to date have been outstanding. I am happy to recommend your services to prospective clients.”

Thanks, Beth! And a big thanks to all of our (more than 40) 2011 clients. Here’s to another year of doing our best work on your behalf!

Investing Time and Experience Before We’ve Even Started

Working with Trinity Applied Internet Part B: Investing Time and Experience Before We’ve Even Started

You know the staff. Now, what is the process? How do we approach your project?

The term “applied” in the name of the company is no accident. A cumulative thirty years experience in software and web development speaks volumes on behalf of the partners, and is directly applied to every project we produce, problem we approach, and product we deliver. The process behind your website or web application development is not piecemeal or made up as we go along.

Consult, research, facilitate, plan (and plan and plan some more), design, develop, test, adjust. Rinse and repeat. Every time, for every project. It doesn’t matter the size or the complexity of the project at hand, we spend the time at the beginning on analysis of your company, research, and planning. In fact, if you have already been through an estimating and proposal process with us, you know we spend a considerable amount of time getting to know you before we’ve ever even won you as a client.

Think every shop that advertises their easy and cheap WordPress package, or their hosted solution you dial right into, does that on your behalf? They don’t. Believe us, because we hear time and again from clients who tried out the competition first because of a really attractive price point, and since have realized they didn’t need a cookie-cutter approach. Or they went with a big media and advertising agency and were shoehorned into marketing decisions based on what the agency was “really good at,” and how it wanted to promote themselves as a full interactive shop.

Well, that strayed from the topic a bit, but the point is, at Trinity Applied Internet you get specialized, considerate, and tailored service that addresses your needs specifically. If you are a marketing department working with some IT constraints, we plan for that. If you are a small organization with one paid staff member and no time for teaching yourself website administration, we plan for that when we design your project, rather than discovering it at the end (or not at all.)

The adage about “prior planning prevents…” at best catastrophe and at worse any number of irritating little hassles. We take it to heart, to the extent that we are researching, discussing, and planning your project before you have even officially engaged us.

What Is It Like Working With Trinity Applied Internet?

Part A: Who is Trinity Applied Internet?

So, you have chosen TAI to build your application, redesign your WordPress website, or maintain your online presence. First, thank you! We love to meet new clients, learn about your business, your goals, previous successes and past challenges. (In fact, if you have come to the point of engaging us, you know we have already discussed most of that with you, even as we developed the proposal for your work.)

Next, you wonder what can you expect from working with us, the first thing being – who are we? In short, you will be working directly with a team of staff members and/or contracted designers and developers. When the project dictates, we also manage partnership resources for illustration and graphic design, hosting, analytics and SEO, or e-commerce, on your behalf. (All professionals based in the US – no offshore code factories need apply!)

Keith, Lead architect, user interface, and art director: Begins most projects in consultation and facilitation around goals and technical requirements, leads production of wireframes and comps.

Erin, Lead project manager, content director, operations: Tracks project progress, supervises content production, load and testing, manages accounts.

Patrick, Lead developer, database architect, and technical director: Designs the code behind all our work, as well as develops a good portion of it, maintains, monitors and upgrades existing sites and/or applications, and manages our development and production servers.

Nicole, Content management assistant: Serves as communication central around here, takes your requests and gets them where they need to go, as well as loads content, posts to your blog, administers your social media.

Rachel, Designer: Creates wireframes and comps, codes HTML/CSS templates, addresses maintenance and testing code issues.

Kym, Developer: Codes HTML/CSS templates, builds custom plug-ins, modules and apps, addresses maintenance and testing code issues.

Depending on the work, your project will also be supported by part-time freelance designers and developers who are directly supervised by Keith. They help keep us fresh, and insure that every problem we tackle is addressed by someone with a breadth of experience.

One last note: as the staff roster on the website indicates, four of us share the same last name. We are a family-owned and operated business, just another guarantee that we’ll go to great lengths to produce an outstanding project and experience for our clients – the family name depends on it!