Area Student Case Study

At wisnet, we’re typically pretty modest. We don’t like to toot our own horns all that much (except maybe on Taco Tuesday). It’s most likely attributed to our mid-western modesty… And the fact that 90% of us are total introverts. So when an area student reached out to share a case study they wrote about our little company, we were floored, humbled, touched and overall feeling so appreciative of the community and support we have surrounding us.

The student said they’re more than happy for us to share it, but we’re keeping their identity confidential so we’ve made some tweaks here and there to help retain that confidentiality. Huge thanks to the student and we’re so thankful to have their support. 🙂

 

In Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, there is a group of individuals who proudly call themselves geeks and creatives. Their open-concept office is an inviting shade of blue with standing desks, bicycles lining the outer walls, and a fitness center among other amenities, complete with a cardboard cutout of Homer Simpson eating a donut to cheer on those who are working out. These small amount of geeks comprise wisnet.com, LLC, a marketing and website development firm that believes in keeping up with the latest technological trends, creating trends for themselves, and being the best they can for their countrywide clientele.

Who is wisnet.com?

wisnet.com, LLC (or wisnet), was founded in 1996 and to this day is still owned by the same two brothers that founded the company. Since then, the company has grown to 14 employees of various website design, coding, and marketing backgrounds. (…) The individuals who work there are highly engaged in the community, taking active roles in committee and board leadership (…), and are the kinds of individuals to get on a new initiative from the very beginning. (…)

They, as a company, live by a few short and simple core values that define who and what they are at the end of the day: we are honest, we are friendly and fun, we are a team, our customers are part of our team, we listen, we know where to get solutions, we have a sense of urgency, and we seek feedback for continuous improvement. (wisnet.com, n.d.). An additional anecdote on their website states “We are a highly-driven team that takes pride in our work. Each one of us brings something unique to the table. We bring years of experience to the planning, designing, and building of interactive websites and applications. And we have fun doing it!” (wisnet).

Innovation

Hardagon explains that an innovative firm is one that operates as a technology broker. This entails that an organization has the right organizational structure, work practices that will support innovation, and an appropriate corporate culture. By creating a supportive, innovating work environment, practices should include capturing good ideas, keeping good ideas alive, finding new uses for old ideas, and putting promising ideas to the test. (Hardagon, 2013).

wisnet could very easily be the definition of innovation according to Hardagon. They may be a technologically-based firm, but being a company that focused on technology does not inherently mean it embodies the criteria above. A firm must strive everyday to meet those criteria and not take its industry or activities for granted, assuming it means they are innovative without putting in the time and energy.

The core values of wisnet are proven to be true. (…) They are truly an organization that values the customer and will rope them into the processes occurring. The experience that I now have in basic website functionality and coding has been because of individuals from wisnet taking the time to help me understand how to look at a website not just as a place to house information (…) but as a living, breathing resource that will truly show an organization’s character and acts in accordance with the desires of those who will be viewing the various pages.

“We listen” is an innovative technique that not all companies will embrace, but one that the wisnet geeks do. Not only do they listen, they understand. (…)

Application

wisnet applies its innovative nature to both professional and personal development. The wisnet Labs on their website serves as a showcase of new projects the team is undertaking to diversify and be to as much service as possible to their clients as their needs expand and grow. Included in the Labs currently is an application tracker system that can help organizations effectively recruit talent to their company, digital signage that is customizable and eases the process of promoting events and programs, a job search tool, and a newer venture into voice/AI integration that can respond to locally-based questions.

Personally, wisnet gets involved in the community in a number of ways and supports all of the team being as involved as possible. Team outings and other gatherings build the camaraderie so that the team is truly that: a team. When you think of wisnet, you don’t think immediately of one individual. You think of a team of individuals who are all working towards the common goal of providing great service and expertise to their community.

wisnet could easily get by as a web development company. Their clientele all across the country proves that their staff is capable of doing a great job to showcase the individual needs of any company and they can build beautiful websites. However, they apply their innovative nature by not just being great. They are the best by staying ahead of the curve, creating new services out of needs that may have gone unnoticed, and being pioneers of embracing new challenges. They are truly a company that Fond du Lac should be proud to have and will be a continuous organizational leader other organizations can strive to be like.