Past IT project success

Leah Fogarty's re-developed website allows clients to book sessions and purchase resources online. It also streamlines her business's social media activity.

“The students were fantastic. This approach of working closely with students over many months was invaluable to me as it allowed me to really think about what I wanted and understand what is possible. I would highly recommend the program to other business owners – I already am!”

In addition to promoting his renewable energy consulting business, Wilson Yuan's website also has a project management system that enables him to provide great customer service.

“The students worked on this project in a very professional way and their technical competence was of a high standard. I enjoyed working closely with the students and the outcomes have definitely exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend this program to Glen Eira businesses as it gives you the opportunity to learn about technology and boost your business to a higher level.”

Party Higher is an events company that specialises in silent disco events. Last year its founder Paul Rosenberg applied for a Monash BusEd project with the hope of streamlining his business processes.

He said students developed software that enabled the company to securely run its wireless headphone system in any location, including outdoors.

“They also developed a contact management system that saves us a lot of time in the way we manage our quoting and our customer service,” Paul said.

“They came up with new ideas and possibilities for me to consider, and delivered a result above and beyond what I had expected.”

Vitalessence is a natural therapies business specialising in fertility and children. Owner Gillian Newton says her involvement in a Monash IT project was a very positive experience.

“The system that the students developed for my business is complex and I am very impressed with their abilities. It includes a public website that provides information about our services and products to prospective and existing clients," Gillian said.

“I believe that this website will assist our clinic to grow over the next decade in areas that previously would not have been possible. I strongly recommend this program to any business that is looking to enhance their exposure and improve their business management processes.”

Louise Taube of Taube Pilates worked with Swinburne students to upgrade two websites and integrate her client booking system and client database. She was impressed with the students and excited about the business outcomes.

“The new websites look fantastic and fresh, and the functionality will make it much easier for me to interact with my clients and keep the content up to date,” Louise said.

Student Aaron Harkness was also extremely positive about the experience.

“It has been a fantastic opportunity to work with Louise, to be able to apply what we have learnt from our studies and at the same time be able to help someone’s business.”

Janet Nybolm of Shillcombe imports and distributes Mats Jonasson fine art glass. She is delighted with the progress of her Swinburne project.

“The students are wonderful. They listened to what I needed and are very hard working. We meet regularly and they always keep me up-to-date. They’re so knowledgeable about what’s possible with the technology and have made valuable suggestions,” Janet said.

Swinburne student Dat Vu is enjoying working with Janet.

“Janet is an amazing client to work with. She is friendly and passionate, and spent hours explaining her business to us which has been so valuable in understanding her requirements,” Dat said.

Swinburne students helped Tee Taylor develop a new online form for her business, Taylor Made Immigration. She says it will generate a more personal automated response, based upon the clients’ responses to a range of questions.

“The students have fresh new ideas and are very enthusiastic about producing an end product that will support my business. They’re a pleasure to work with,” Tee said.

“I’d definitely recommend the program to other business owners, particularly those who are willing to work closely with students and be flexible about the possibilities.”

Swinburne Student Meher Yarlagadda said “working with Tee has been a wonderful journey. She has given us a lot of information about her business and is very clear about her requirements.”

Ria Ganis is excited about the launch of Leaf and Co’s first e-commerce website, which enables online selling of their handcrafted ceramic homewares and candles. She said the students have been fantastic.

“The new website and the linked social media helped us connect with our customers, and the website enables us to track our stock levels,” Ms Ganis said.

“Working as a team with the students enabled me to learn about what was possible and feed my ideas back into the process. It has been an invaluable experience.”

Urban Pedaler’s Gabe Sullens worked with four Swinburne IT students to redevelop a new website for his Bentleigh store. The website enables customers to buy bicycle products online and request service appointments.

“The new website is a huge improvement on what we had. It integrates with our social media feed and enables us to keep customers up-to date-with our product and service offerings in an efficient way," Mr Sullens said.

“This program is a fantastic way for small businesses to improve their online technology — we didn’t have the expertise or funds to achieve this outcome on our own this early in our new business.”