Has anyone used Elexio?

[thcapo]

Our church is looking at website design and hosting services, we really like Elexio's options. I was wondering if anyone had input on them. http://www.elexio.com/
Thanks for any input you can give me on them.

[katanna]

Ditto.

Our church is looking at Elexio. We had a conference call tonight with them, and I was impressed with a lot of their stuff (and not so impressed with other stuff).

We are currently shopping around. Questions are:

(If you use or have used Elexio) What are the pros and cons of Elexio? Would you recommend it?

What are their competitors, what other services are out there that we should compare this to?

Matthew

[rev_65]

We three are looking at them. Seems like they have all the right pieces in place that we need or will need, but I'm not so convinced as to the design side of things. Everything I've seen thus far lends me to think there is a custom front page that can be pretty cool and interactive, but everything else beyond/below gets pretty template looking.

[geek3]

you could try http://webempoweredchurch.com/ they use a version of Typo3 made for churches and it is free

[stjamesame]

YES! we have a total of 6 elexio websites. you can have a custom design or simply use the dynamic canvas. they have so many great features and it's very user friendly. if you can design a flyer in work, you can design an elexio webpage. you can contact tom kirk @ tkirk @ elexio (dot)com and he can set you up with a demo. he's very nice. ask him about his grandkids.

my church purchased the multimedia center that includes podcasting and the memebrs love it. you can check out out our site (i haven't updated it in while) but our address is stjamesame (dot)org (this design is 2 years old but it's going to ger an upgrade this summer) and williamwatley (dot)org both or those are custom design. i'm a broke graduate student so my site isn't as lavish. but it's babydollkennedy (dot) org. also check out harborlight (dot) com/ and phoenixfirst (dot) org/ (elexio did their initial design)

[thexchange]

Our church has used Elexio for the last three years. Their company has some very STRONG points, but we've also found a few weaknesses over the last three years.

Strengths: Site is dependable (been down only a couple times in three years, each less than a few hours). Easy to use interface for people like me...and the rest of our church staff.

Weaknesses: Support system leaves a lot to be desired. Pay per use = $60. Oh...and you can't call them. Has to be done online. Their monthly support plans start go up to $45/month or so. Design doesn't stand up to web 2.0 looks of some of their competitors (siteorganic, powerfulchurchwebsites).

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the designs are bad, just not for $$ you spend.

Overall, we have been pleased...but we are currently searching for a better design firm. Their CMS is great. No complaints AT ALL.



o

[stjamesame]

your support plan depends on the type of site you purchas. we get a number of free support incidents each month with out plans. and as for not being able to call them.....huuuummmmmmmmmmmm, i guess i'm one of the lucky ones because i've called them a ton of times. but then again i have a great rep.

as for the design, i'll confess the first design they gave me for one of our sites was not that great......but they listened to me and redid the design and it was much better. the designer actually had a lot on his plate

[thexchange]

Yeah...I'm not trying to come down hard on Elexio...just offer a different perspective.

It isn't that we CAN'T call them, but their policy clearly states that you are supposed to log a 'support instance' on line. Just makes it difficult when you are working on a time frame or don't have the time/capacity to explain a difficult situation over email.

Their design staff is ALWAYS buried. We ordered 6 different logos from them. It took nearly 6 months.

I read recently that some problems with companies like Elexio (who we still use) is that they do not concentrate solely on design or Content Management. Typically they are strong in one area and weak in the other.

In my opinion...Elexio has an excellent CMS but their design and support system leaves a little to be desired.

[stjamesame]

oh yeah......i agree, it's a matter of perspective. but i'd encourage you to call them if you have an urgent problem because some issues are beyond "incident reports."

once they had a glitch in their system and several of our personal systems went down over night. but i called they fixed it within 2 hours.

the best thing about elexio is the fact that each ministry leader at my church can update their own ministry page. i tell them if you can design a flyer in ms word then you can design your own page.

[WebYourChurch]

Hello, just stumbled across your site. I agree with "thexchange". We are currently using Elexio as our CMS and have been for about 2 1/2 years now. They have strong points and they have weak points. Their customer support strategy is very expensive and the only way to submit problems (even serious site effecting problems) is online. They have recently instituted a support call number so they're working on it, but this number is really just a answering service.

Our real problem with them has been their "help documentation". It is okay for beginning users but our church has more in-depth questions and we are having a hard time finding information and answers. Of course Elexio is designed with the beginner website in mind. I believe Elexio is a great option for churches who are just getting started with websites and/or don't have the money to support an IT/web developer type. But we have gotten beyond that point so need to start looking around.

Summation of pluses and minuses:

Pluses:

Easy to update! No HTML coding or web development required.
Page approval system is pretty robust.
Great "starter" website (learning curve is quick)

Minuses:

Poor documentation
Online support only (and expensive)
Basic design layout is not changeable (except for hefty fee)

[Tom Kirk]

Thank you all for your many and varied comments. We appreciate it.

For those that are thinking poorly about our designs, please go to designsbyelexio dot com. If we would do a custom design for you, we can create anything you want. If you use our Dynamic Canvas (template) designs, you have about 80 to choose from, and you can swap them out anytime you want to for free. If we do create a custom design for you, you will have total control over certain aspects of it. Changes that would require design work by Elexio would incur a reasonable fee.

As far as support, all clients that have purchased in the last two years automatically get 6 support requests. If there is anything wrong with our software or equipment, we will fix it free. If there are other issues (client issues) we will help, but we will charge one of the "6 free" support requests. So - it really won't cost our clients any additional funds. The average use per client is 2 of the 6 free support requests per year.

We do not have only online support. You may call or email. But - our preferred method is our support requests. Like any good software company, this allows us to accurately track everything. Support requests get our highest priority.

Oh - we have never hired an answering service. Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00, our phones are staffed by Elexio employees.

[churchtech007]

Tom,

It's great to see a company responding to a site like this. It definitely says something for your company that you are looking to see what your target/current customers are saying.

I do have a question though?

Originally Posted by Tom Kirk

If we do create a custom design for you, you will have total control over certain aspects of it. Changes that would require design work by Elexio would incur a reasonable fee.

Am I understanding that even after you create a custom design for us I won't have total control over the site? What about churches that use you that have people who can edit code?

Once again, great to see you on the site!

Jonathan