Sibia Increases Monthly Revenue by 10% by Using Manymoon

At a Glance

• Coordinate among three company owners in different states.
• Make sure all team members’ efforts were (a) complementing one another and (b) moving in the same direction.
• Take full advantage of the 2010-2011 application season.

• Used Manymoon’s Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar integration to coordinate assignments, schedule Skype conference calls, update each other, and review each other’s work.
• Used Manymoon to keep track of longer-term targets for overall company growth, and to suggest innovative ideas that may need to be on the back burner while they handle more immediate needs.

• Increased monthly revenue by 10% since implementing Manymoon.
• Got on track for the 2010-2011 academic year.
• Allowed each partner to have a clear conception of what is being done and what needs to be done in the future, in the short run and the long run.
• Eliminated unnecessary and confusing email threads, saving on average one hour/person each week that was otherwise spent tracking down emails.
• Became better able to focus on customer service improvements and ensuring that clients receive the expert assistance they deserve, resulting in additional clients and more orders.

Sibia Group LLC is an education-oriented, writing-focused company that helps its clients to excel academically and professionally. The company features two branches: Sibia Admissions, an admissions consulting service for college and grad school applicants, and Sibia Proofreading, an editing and proofreading service for students, researchers, and authors. This Web-based company was founded and is run by three people living in three different states, and they employ several editors and consultants based in the United States and abroad.

Sibia’s three owners—Erick Widman, Dave Cuzner, and Dona Le—often found it difficult over the past year to stay ahead of crucial deadlines, with the primary aim of improving the Sibia Admissions Web site. Each owner has a unique area of expertise as well: Dave handles Sibia’s Web design and social media networking efforts; Erick is responsible for general management and advertising operations; and Dona focuses on copywriting and general management. Their responsibilities occasionally overlap, and they definitely needed to make sure that all team members’ efforts were (a) complementing one another and (b) moving in the same direction.

Before turning to Manymoon, email threads were getting cumbersome, either drifting off-topic or being abandoned abruptly, only to be picked up in a new thread later. Documents containing important information or templates were not uniformly shared, or were sometimes sent via email instead of through Google Docs. At times, each partner had only a limited idea of what projects the others were completing, and deadlines were being pushed back because Erick, Dave and Dona lacked a cohesive, one-stop portal to monitor their progress and goals.

“We were delayed in improving our Sibia Admissions Web site and in revamping several areas of Sibia Proofreading’s site to improve our customers’ experience,” admits Le. “We missed the opportunity to take full advantage of the 2009-2010 application season.”

The Sibia Group opted to use Manymoon primarily because of its accessible and appealing interface, self-explanatory layout, and broad range of features. Manymoon also integrates seamlessly with Google Apps services, thus improving Sibia’s internal processes. Sibia editors and consultants depend heavily on Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar to coordinate assignments, schedule Skype conference calls, update each other, and review each other’s work. For example, with Manymoon, the Sibia team was able to efficiently provide this invaluable personal statement guide free of charge to current applicants.

Le says, “With the implementation of Manymoon, we are back on track for the 2010-2011 academic year.”

Widman adds, "I genuinely look forward to using Manymoon every day. Easily creating tasks and projects on a regular basis ensures that essential work for myself and others doesn't fall through the cracks. Manymoon also gives me clarity on how to schedule each day and the week ahead."

Manymoon isn’t only useful in terms of making sure Sibia’s founders achieve their short-term goals and meet daily to weekly deadlines. They also use Manymoon to keep track of longer-term targets for overall company growth, or to suggest innovative ideas that may need to be on the back burner while they handle more immediate needs.

Since implementing Manymoon into their daily work structure, Erick, Dona and Dave are better able to maintain focus.

Each partner has a clear conception of what is being done and what needs to be done in the future, in the short run and the long run. Unnecessary email threads have been eliminated, resulting in cleaner inboxes, so that space is saved for better and faster client communication. Sibia saves on average one hour/person each week that was otherwise spent tracking down email threads and following up on various tasks.

To be updated on ongoing projects and approaching deadlines, Sibia employees simply have to click on the Manymoon link that is handily featured in email alerts that arrive in the company email accounts. In addition, the link and document preview features make it easier for the founders to work on the run, when they don’t necessarily have the time or need to click open the link, but want to stay updated anyway.

Overall, with Manymoon, Sibia Group has become much more productive and efficient, teamwork is better coordinated, communication is more transparent, and the partners have honed their unified vision of the company and its projected future.

Now, Sibia Group is better able to focus on customer service improvements and ensuring that clients, whether for editing and proofreading or admissions consulting, receive the expert assistance they deserve. The Web sites for Sibia Proofreading and Sibia Admissions have been revised and improved to maximize the customer experience and to encourage conversions. Sibia has increased monthly revenue by 10% since implementing Manymoon.

Widman and Le have also refocused Sibia’s advertising efforts, resulting in additional clients and more orders to keep the editors busy. In the meantime, Cuzner has established Sibia’s social media presence via Facebook and Twitter. The Sibia Admissions blog is also up and running to provide valuable and relevant information to readers.

With many thanks to Manymoon, Sibia Group is fully prepared to generate real results and real value for clients!

For more information, check out Sibia Admissions on Facebook here and follow us on Twitter!