Beyond

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of internal communications for a global financial services firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Beyond?

We hired Beyond to reimagine and redesign our corporate intranet.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a simple and compelling platform for employees.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of my colleagues from a previous employer had worked with Beyond and recommended them.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected the vendor, we had a series of discovery meetings. They came back with wireframes that they edited based on our feedback.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager at the beginning who changed over the course of the project. It was a bit unclear to me at the beginning who played what role and who was my main contact, though it became apparent over time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All necessary approvers were happy with the wireframes. Our team is moving forward with implementing them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The overall workflow was great. Beyond quickly addressed a few issues that came up at the beginning of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their subject matter expertise and the quality of their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They need to be more open to making changes based on feedback. I would also appreciate simpler and more detailed language, especially when it comes to tech recommendations. Sometimes, it can be a bit confusing to someone unversed in technicalities like me.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the product marketing manager for a large internet company. I work to secure high-value prospects through frontal marketing strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Beyond?

We needed a solution to provide marketing support throughout our lengthy sale cycle. We funneled in prospects through preliminary programs, but results showed that clients chose to move their business if there wasn't regular engagement with a sales rep. We wanted to develop a marketing tool that facilitated client interaction and assisted in the outreach flow. Beyond created a fenced platform, exclusive to our high-value prospects, where we could share a stream of pertinent marketing materials and information on an ongoing basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Beyond provided the strategic work and digital design expertise behind our multi-channel platform. They developed a personalized user experience system to facilitate client engagement and boost loyalty. The interface promoted stable communication through a direct chat program and a frequently updated flow of relevant articles and blog posts. Our company is able to track the progress of our prospective clients through their interaction with the platform.

What is the team composition?

Beyond provided a client partner, project manager, product manager, user experience specialist, and a network of developers and designers.

How did you come to work with Beyond?

We contacted them after reviewing their work with one of our company’s other teams. They submitted a concise proposal that showed an investment in our values and an understanding of our vision.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the platform’s first stage from December 2017—May 2018, but our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We are monitoring the progress of the platform’s initial launch. Based on our friendly and receptive experience with Beyond, we are anticipating positive results.

How did Beyond perform from a project management standpoint?

The team members communicated all plans, progress, and obstacles thoroughly. They worked well under tight deadlines and promptly conveyed any issues. Beyond acted as part of our organization rather than an outside source. We spoke to all members of their team, including those working behind the scenes. The delivered product met all of our outlined expectations and requirements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Beyond followed an extremely transparent design process compared to others in the industry. In past partnerships, I only communicated with the project manager, who would relay my feedback to the developers. The Beyond team facilitated direct interaction between my company and the actual designers and developers. Frequent project updates and multiple drafts sped up the development process and assured quality results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Beyond could have been more attentive to spending, but I have yet to come across an agency that does that well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

20th Century Fox makes feature films and television programs. I am senior vice president of product and look after things like process strategy, UX, and design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Beyond?

As an entertainment company, we’re very good at making and distributing content. We’re not technology experts, but technology is a major part of our business. We often partner with agencies to provide core infrastructure and build value through apps, websites, and other platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did a full redesign of the Fox News website with them. We also approach them for strategic and process support and use them in places where we’re weak. They analyze complex problems and help us with structure to deliver tangible software. We provide the content and they design and run the process.

What is the team composition?

We initially dealt with the managing director of their New York office. He stayed with the project all the way through. They also had a team for UX, design, strategy, and account management.

How did you come to work with Beyond?

I met their founder about 15 years ago for a project at another company. At that point, they’d been in business for about six weeks. We’ve partnered on various initiatives since then.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $185,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project early in 2017 and completed it around July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s been extremely successful. We’ve seen threefold growth in web traffic and impressions since we launched. Their creative team is great and they produce fantastic work.

How did Beyond perform from a project management standpoint?

They are the perfect size for us. They’re big enough to have a wealth of resources in different regions and the ability to staff our projects. They’re also small enough to let us work directly with their primary management. We usually communicate via email, over the phone, and in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We use them for big solutions and upfront ideas or for simple jobs with a quick turnaround. They’re great at both. They’re incredibly flexible and follow our lead.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet the team you’re actually going to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work on a content team in the marketing department of a large internet company that focuses on cloud services. We oversee high-level marketing programs intended to help people understand our industry, rather than focusing on individual products we offer. These include research assets that get promoted over paid media, engagement programs via email, newsletter content that goes out to subscribers, various content hubs, and other awareness content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Beyond?

We’ve worked with Beyond as a partner on several engagements. We engage them when we need to create strategic solutions that require more than just an eye for design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first was a content hub for IT decision makers that was filled with high-asset, high-fidelity, thought leadership content. We have a great deal of dense, technical content across our site, and Beyond helped us create an intuitive knowledge center for CIOs. Users can learn about cloud industry practices and how best to implement them in innovating their business.

Beyond also helped us design and create our newsletter, which is one of our most valuable marketing assets. We have a vast number of subscribers and wanted to create a newsletter that would stand out from our competitors. We often turn to Beyond for their guidance and counsel on mixing things up and looking at things from a new perspective. They always come to us with interesting suggestions and solutions, based on in-depth research and interviews that they conduct. They have great ideas, many of which are not being pursued by our competitors.

What is the team composition?

We generally work with two to three account managers and project managers. A lot of our projects with them have multiple phases, and they do a great job overseeing the process. They also have a fantastic research team that looks into user insights, competitor trends, best practices, etc., as well as a UX team and a design team that determine user flows and end product design. Altogether, we work with between five and 10 people throughout a project.

How did you come to work with Beyond?

They had already worked with our team when I joined the company, and all my colleagues spoke very highly of them. I had an initial meeting with Beyond to discuss creating a new newsletter and was impressed by how excited they were to take on the project. They immediately started planning a research and insights phase, and we admired their evidence-based approach. We started working together and kept commissioning them, and we’re still currently working with them on other projects.

How much have you invested with them?

The newsletter project was over $250,000, but our team has worked with them on other projects that are larger in scope.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Most of the projects we’ve worked on are still in early phases, including the newsletter project. They’ve done all the research and design, and we’re still working on building out the products on our end.

How did Beyond perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re a unique client for them. We have a huge marketing team, and agencies that we work with have to consult with other stakeholder teams throughout the process. Beyond does a fantastic job of guiding the process and getting everyone what they need on time. This is an area that the team reliably exceeds in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always excited about the project we're taking on, even when they’re unsure of the solutions at the beginning of the project. Their enthusiasm for our projects is unparalleled, and it’s great to have a partner that’s optimistic about what you can create together.

Additionally, we can be a tough team to work with in terms of pivots and changes, and they’re incredibly adaptable to our needs. It’s sometimes easy to get lost in internal politics or specific aspects of a project, and their team is very consistent in focusing on our end user. They help to refocus us when things get off track.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They often involve their entire team when we have account meetings, which increases the costs for us. They could probably segment their team a bit in those cases, but I also worry that it could take away from their internal cohesion. Their team is always on the same page, so I can’t fault them too much.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work on the advertising and marketing side of a large technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Beyond?

We wanted to inspire our audience and create evergreen content by creating simple and useful tools.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with Beyond to create a web-based hub that allows companies to compare their mobile site speed to their competitors. We also created a tool that estimates the potential revenue impact of improving mobile site speed.

The tools had to be simple and accessible to marketers, not just data teams. In-house teams ran the analytics and built the data models, while Beyond built the front end UI and the backend that connected the dataset to make it accessible and affordable. The tools are optimized for web and mobile, and are localized in multiple languages. Both were extremely complex and technical projects that required broad skill sets and comprehensive knowledge.

What is the team composition?

David (Client Strategist, Beyond) managed our account and some of the creative processes. We also worked with a technical lead (Ryan), an engineering lead (Alex), and a designer (Arjun).

How did you come to work with Beyond?

A former colleague of mine had worked with them in the past and spoke very highly of them. Beyond has a fantastic reputation in the industry, and we got along with the team very well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $500,000 divided across several payments.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the tools in July 2017, and the engagement concluded in February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The hub has exceeded all defined performance targets.

How did Beyond perform from a project management standpoint?

At the highest level, they couldn’t have been better. The team was spectacular, and the amount of work they produced as a team of four was remarkable. Our company has a unique style of work and they were always able to adapt to our specific needs. They found innovative solutions to unique problems and were very thorough in exploring any potential errors before launch. We primarily communicated via email, chat, and phone/video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach to the work they do is outstandingly thorough and efficient. They’re able to turn projects around rapidly while still maintaining exceptionally high standards. They always had a positive mindset, even when we made requests that other agencies might consider unreasonable. Towards the end of the project, we requested that they significantly increase the size of the data sets without fully realizing how much work it would entail. They were able to quickly and accurately identify all the necessary steps to achieving that goal. Also, we had to completely redesign the site and rebuild several features a month before project launch, and the Beyond team understood the necessity and stepped up to the challenge with absolutely no complaints. Everyone that’s had eyes on this project has remarked on their ability to make changes effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This project was a massive success, both internally and externally. We were very happy with the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your organization and your role there.

We are a $500 to $1 billion education technology company largely focused in the learning management space. We serve the K-12 [kindergarten through 12th grade], higher education, and professional education markets. I am responsible for digital marketing and demand generation for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Beyond?

We were trying to migrate our approach to going to markets from a product-oriented approach to more of a solutions-oriented approach. We’re addressing new audiences that are more senior, and sort of higher end organizations than we historically have done in the past. We were looking for content marketing to be the major driver or catalyst for that change in go to market approach. 

SOLUTION

Can you tell us a little bit about the scope of the work that Beyond did in that regard?

First of all, we’ve developed work with them. We have not executed any of it. The work that they have done with us to date has been [developing] how we can build an all-digital integrated campaign for repositioning our brand to the new audiences that are important to us. [So far, the work has involved] strategic planning and campaign development.

Will Beyond eventually implement that plan or is that something that you will take on internally?

They’ll be the ones that eventually do.

How long have you been working with Beyond?

We’ve been working with them for about three months.

Why did you select them to work with in the first place?

We were really impressed with their ability to be able to translate online and social listening into strategies that could be used for content marketing. We were looking for someone who had strong strategic skills in terms of understanding markets, understanding the conversations that are important within markets, helping us figure out what our position should be, and then building out interesting and unique ways for activating that.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project, in either an approximate cost range or a personnel work hour figure?

No. I’d rather not.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of the results of the work that they’ve done so far, is there any feedback that you can give that indicates the effectiveness of their work?

Not yet because we haven’t actually executed anything.

How do you feel their performance has been so far?

Their performance has been strong.

Is there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

I think they’ve got a strong intellectual prowess. They have come to the table in pretty short order with very good ideas. I think they have been flexible in terms of adhering to some peculiar and obscure timing requirements that we had. They’ve been very good in terms of project management as well.

Is there any area that you think that they could improve on?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please begin by describing your company and your role there.

We are a pharmaceutical manufacturer. I am head of social media for one of their U.S. divisions. I am responsible for setting the social media strategy for all of the brands within our portfolio as well as building the operational infrastructure to support those brands. 

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of the work that Beyond has done for your organization?

We work with them for a wide variety of things. They don’t do any of our .com’s. I know that’s an asset and a capability that they have. They are in many ways our development team, so they build any pieces of technology. For instance, in the pharmaceutical industry, we are not allowed to have a two-way engagement on Facebook that goes live immediately. So, it has to be moderated and approved on the backend before it can go public. So, that technological solution they built for me. In addition, they helped us evaluate startups and new companies that we could work with. They helped give guidance with some of the mobile applications that we developed as well as helped us when we did our very first hackathon last year out in Silicon Valley.

When did your organization begin the relationship with Beyond?

I don’t actually know the start date. I’ve been here for about two years now. I inherited the relationship when I joined. The relationship started out of [a European city], which is where our corporate headquarters is. I’m the U.S. relationship manager.

Why do you continue to hire Beyond as your solutions partner?

I like their team’s approach to technology. They have a deep bench of subject matter experts, which is really nice to see. From a coding development standpoint, they have a well-rounded team. Also, from an account management standpoint, they’re really sound at that and they’re great. It’s very hard to work in a regulated industry with a lot more rules. It can be quite challenging. One thing that I always love with any of the agencies that we work with is they have to have the mentality that the challenge is what makes it fun. The challenge is what makes it exciting. That’s why they want to partner with us. Instead of getting of frustrated in showing ideas that don’t fit our industry, they understand our industry well enough so they won’t suggest things that we would completely dismiss. They can push us and help us innovate in the appropriate way while still understanding the landscape of what we’re up against. I think that’s the most important part in finding a valued partner quite honestly.

Can you give a sense of the size of the projects Beyond typically completes for you?

I can tell you that the staffing for our team at any point in time ranges from two to five for their agency, depending on the project. So, we have a dedicated team to our company, which is appreciated. It’s always the same team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, are there any metrics and/or qualitative feedback that you can share that indicates the effectiveness of Beyond’s work? 

One of the things that I do is I build a dimensional operational infrastructure to support some of our brands. Part of that is building enterprise wide solutions. So, that’s what I do with that team, and it’s provided a tremendous amount of cost efficiencies for some of my brand teams in the portfolio. I can’t disclose those numbers, but there’s been a significant amount of savings related to that.

Is there anything unique or special about Beyond compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

They are very well connected in the technology space and able to create solutions that can really deliver the value that you’re looking for. One thing I like is that they allow you to have a seat at the table and co-create with them, which I think is really important especially for someone like myself. I’m obsessed with technology, and that is my role, but I don’t know how to code. It’s really important for me to work with someone who has that ability, but also has the business mindset. Someone that can translate what I’m looking for because I can tell them what I want but I can’t tell them how to build it.

I think what’s really important is the way they stack their team. There’s a good mix of people who are straight developers and that are account managers that understand the space. It’s a good blend, so that there aren’t a lot of frustration points, which I think is the most important part. I’ve worked with a lot of organizations before where that has been the case, where it’s sort of been that firewall and that division. That can sometimes get really frustrating for clients. That’s not something that I have ever experienced with this team. That in itself is pretty outstanding.

Is there any area that you think that they could improve or that you would do differently?

Everyone can use improvement. I think they are a little bit lean from an agency capacity. Their organization is spread out across the world. One of their locations is in London. One is here in New York. The other is in San Francisco. Sometimes, it’s very challenging because we’re working with multiple offices at the same time. That can be good but that can also not be good for communication, and just for having boots on the ground. Our go-to, day-to-day team is based here in New York, which is really helpful. But having capabilities locally is always a little bit easier.