Welcome to our Meet the Partner segment. We have recently been catching up with Another Web is Possible (AWIP), one of our strategic partners, to explore more about what they do, the services they offer to clients, and how Webtrends Optimize provide additional features and resources to support this.
In the below article, we interview Jon Crowder, Global Customer Experience Director, at AWIP.
Can you tell us a bit about what AWIP do?
We do CRO that respects your customers and makes them want to come back.
Some of the industry is rotten. It's full of manipulative tactics and dark patterns. Fake timers. Cookie banners designed to confuse, subscription traps, selective disclosure, fake reviews. The works.
AWIP does the opposite. We help websites convert better by actually being useful to the people using them.
What are the core services you offer and what impact do they have?
We offer three pillars:
- Experimentation programmes
This means properwith rigorous methodology, not the cargo cult "we ran a test for three days and declared victory" nonsense. - and audits
A true understanding of what your users actually want rather than a stab in the dark at what they need.
Our commitment to helping teams build internal capability so they're not dependent on agencies forever.
Most importantly. Sustainable growth. Results that don't evaporate when you stop running countdown timers. Customers who come back again and again because they trust you.
What success stories can you share with us that you are particularly proud of?
I have been doing this for more than fifteen years. In that time I have worked with big brands, small charities, everything in between. I have grown millions in revenue. But my best results? When we lock-in and do something good for users and good for the world. Working to bring money to charities. Working to make services more accessible. Opening up new services to people who previously wouldn't have been able or willing to take them. That's the feel-good stuff. Also times when we've proved that a manipulative tactic would actually tank their long-term numbers. Shooting down bad ideas is underrated.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start testing, but doesn’t know where to start?
Just start. You don't wait to win your first gold medal before you hit the gym. Pick a page. Guess why it's not working. Test your guess. Learn. Go again. Then get better over time. Better research linked to real user problems. Smarter hypotheses. But get your tech hurdle out of the way nice and early and that way you can focus on the process with a clear understanding of how you'll execute it.You don't need perfect data. You don't need expensive tools. You don't need a committee. You need curiosity and a willingness to be wrong. Plenty of testing and analytics tools have trial periods and free tiers, Webtrends Optimize does. Use that.
How does the partnership with Webtrends Optimize add value to what you can offer clients?
Webtrends Optimize is a testing platform that doesn't cost the earth and doesn't atomise their services into incomprehensible pricing tiers. Solid and reliable tools that let us get on with the work. Plus values alignment is important to us. Webtrends Optimize are a B Corp and they walk the walk.
If you had to pick one aspect of working with using Webtrends Optimize as a key differentiator, what would it be?
They're very available. If I have a cool idea of how we can use the tech, they're open to hear about it and work on it. We once raised a very, very, very small UX annoyance with one of the menus and they fixed it in under an hour. Most software companies would have that on a roadmap to be patched in months.
Who would be your favourite client to work with?
I'd love to work with Amnesty International. Also, maybe Iron Maiden.
What do you hope the next 5-10 years looks like for AWIP?
Prove that ethical CRO works. Build the evidence. Change how people think about this stuff. Stay small and lean enough to do it properly.
Is there anything else about AWIP you would like to tell people?
The name of the business is not random. Another web is possible. If we want it.
And one for fun: What would be your dream venue/ festival to play at and why?
As a musician, you dream of big stages and looked-after fans. Wacken Open Air in Germany would be incredible.
