Project Summary
Clear Debt approached me with a specific need: to transition their website from the Umbraco content management system to WordPress. This migration wasn’t just about changing platforms; it involved integrating multiple functionalities, including a financial calculator and customer relationship management system integration, ensuring a seamless user experience and efficient lead management solution.
Company Introduction
Clear Debt is a financial firm that offers solutions to individuals and businesses looking to manage and reduce their debt. Their online presence, particularly their IVA calculator, plays a pivotal role in attracting and assisting potential clients.
Project Objectives
- Migrate the main website from Umbraco to WordPress
- Integrate two WordPress installations powering the company blog and news portal
- Redevelop and enhance the IVA calculator for compatibility with WordPress and Gravity Forms
- Ensure the calculator data can be updated easily by the Clear Debt team
- Integrate the CRM system to capture and manage leads from the website
- Implement robust spam protection and validate telephone numbers using the Data8 service
Technologies Used
- WordPress for website development
- Gravity Forms for form management
- Data8 service for telephone number validation
- External data source for updating the IVA calculator
Results
The successful migration to WordPress provided Clear Debt with a more flexible and scalable platform that was easy to manage.
Developing the IVA calculator, with the external data needing Google Sheets integration was challenging. I had to add in custom gravity forms validation and then map the form input to the CRM fields before pushing the data into the external lead tracker. The IVA form offered users accurate estimates while allowing the Clear Debt team to update data effortlessly. The CRM integration, coupled with spam protection and telephone validation, ensures that the sales team receives genuine, high-quality leads.
Challenges and Limitations
Migrating from one content management system to another is always challenging, especially when integrating multiple features. Ensuring that the IVA calculator worked seamlessly with WordPress and Gravity Forms, while also integrating with an external data source, required meticulous planning and execution.
Testimonial
“Excellent job completed in super tight schedule circumstances. Refreshingly communicative by phone also which in this age is unfashionable but very welcome. Ben did a fine job getting our WordPress development tasks nailed to perfection. Excellent attention to detail with a solution that can scale for the future as our website grows”
Paul Gailey