Crafton

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

MMH Development builds flats and houses. I am a developer and the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

Our market is crowded with guys that have similar companies like mine. There is a lot of competition, and it’s always a difficulty to sell the houses and the flats to the people. Nowadays, people look first on the internet and you need something to attract them to your project to make them interested. It was pretty difficult to make a webpage that allowed them to look at the houses and see if there’s something that matches their needs. The challenge was to make it so it’s different than the others.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first thing they did was send me a huge document to fill out where they asked about all these things including what I think my objectives are in my company, how my competition looks and what they do, how I define my company, how my employees define our company, and many issues concerning our company and the branch in which we operate. After I sent that back to them, we had a meeting to discuss it and talk about the project. We had many of these meetings to find a solution that would satisfy my needs.

It took a long time for them to know me and know what I feel about my business, how they could help me out with that. Then we started the development process. They also wanted me to tell them what kind of colors I like and what style I like on the Web page. Then they proposed some solutions that included my point of view and also solutions that included their point of view. We were trying to find something that combined both of our ideas, because they had some good ideas. There were also some ideas that I wanted to have implemented.

I had them do a landing page first so people could find my company. Then they started building the Web page design and were sending me all the progress that they were doing and how it looked. I have an architect that was designing the new buildings for me, and they contacted my architect to discuss with him how he sees the architecture, how he’s going to be projecting my buildings and how they will look and what his feeling was about the whole story. That also influenced the final result. Then they built the Web page on WordPress and consulting with me at each step. They wanted feedback from me if I like it or not. We made some changes because there were some things that I liked, some colors that I didn’t like, for example. They were always adjusting the Web page to what I suggested. However, they also discussed some issues which they saw as important. I don’t have much experience with Web pages and they have more experience about how customers browsing the web look at the Web pages. There were some ideas that they suggested that are better than the other ones. When I sum it up, I think their recommendations were good ones.

I didn’t have an existing website for the type of project we were doing. It’s a new area so we didn’t want it to be connected to any other things we do. There were four resources from Crafton working on the project including the owner. He was leading the team in general.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

I’m from Poland and many different companies offer websites. However, the sites are usually pretty boring. If you get onto the Crafton Web page, it’s something a bit different. Looking at the owner, he’s got a site about traveling photography which also is pretty impressive. Their pages were not like regular pages that you see on the internet. I considered five different providers and I got some quotes. The prices were varied from not-so-high to very high, so I took something in the middle.

How much have you invested with Crafton?

I have spent between 5,000 and 10,000 euros [$5,600 - $11,200] thus far, but I have recently decided to implement more functionality, so the total investment will likely be between $10,000 - $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in March 2017, and their part of the project was completed in May 2017. I need to fill it with content and have it implemented on my server, so the site should launch in June. If I run into any issues, Crafton said they would be available to help.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

All my business partners and my employees were satisfied with the website. We all reviewed the pages during the process.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept their deadlines. I never had a problem with communication. Whenever I sent an email or made a phone call, they answered quite quickly, especially with the emails. With some people, you have to wait 24 hours for them to respond to your emails; with Crafton, it’s usually a couple of minutes.

What did you find most impressive about Crafton?

They are definitely professionals, and I like the fact that the communication is very good. It’s quick and you don’t have to wait too long. Also, they don’t do regular pages. If you look at their portfolio, they don’t take regular clients, so you don’t have the typical website where you always have the menu on the left side and difficult schematics of the Web page It always looks unique.

Are there any areas Crafton could improve?

I can’t think of anything. We’ll see when it launches.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have luxury resorts around the world. We do marketing for the company in the UK and the Nordics. I’m the senior e-commerce executive.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We didn’t have an online option to have pre-registration for our sales openings. We asked Crafton to assist us in building a mini-site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been involved in a few projects together. For the sales opening project, we would tell them what fields we needed and then gave them free reign in designing the site. We accepted suggestions from them in how it could be better. We would then have a meeting to go over our feedback. Their turnaround time was quick for the pages.

Another project they helped us with was incorporating a brochure that we have for our customers onto the website. We have a list of what is available at each resort and we wanted to include that on the website. We wanted Crafton to build something where the user could input their preferences and, based on that, the site could tell them which resort was best suited for them. The process for that project was the same where we briefed them on the idea we wanted and they came back with recommendations. We decided what we wanted and proceeded building the tool.

I have one main point of contact and have not been in contact with any of the team. I don’t know how big the team is.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

We had an agency that did all our creative work for us before Crafton. They became quite costly, so we looked for replacements. One of my colleagues worked with Crafton when she was at a previous company and wanted to get a quote from them. Their cost was quite a lot less than the previous company.

How much have you invested with Crafton?

We have spent £10,000 [$12,600] over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2013, and the work is ongoing. They are now working on a redesign of our pre-reg page.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We can’t say specifically that our improvement is due to their work. When I started four years ago, we had 100 users signing up for pre-reg. We currently have 600 users. Crafton always considers new, modern techniques. They’re always looking for innovative ideas and give good recommendations.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re pretty good. In the beginning, they didn’t know our philosophy or what we wanted to achieve. Over the years, they’ve come to know our product well, and the project management has improved. They’re very efficient compared to other agencies we’ve worked with in the past.

What did you find most impressive about Crafton?

They’re very innovative. I’ve worked with agencies where you brief them and they give you exactly what you want. Crafton goes the extra mile. If they feel they can give you more valuable input, they always do. That helps us a lot.

Are there any areas Crafton could improve?

I think they need a more standardized pricing system. The costs can vary on certain things and I think that could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Project Manager at a Slovenian Web Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton?

We hired Crafton for support in UX/UI Design

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We won our first government tender for designing and developing a Website and Web Portal for a local ministry. After discussions internally we decided that our team required experts in the sector to support and help us with the delivery of the project. I was recommended Crafton by a close friend, and after our research - we decided to reach out to them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They took over the project after the discovery phase and handled the workshops, they laid the foundation for the UX and the overall design. Once, that was approve by the client; they took that on the design work and delivered on time.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had two people working on the project who specialized in UX and UI.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design work they delivered was very high quality, we had no complaints and neither did our client.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings and were brought up to date on all the work they did for us. The communication was swift and we were invited to their slack channel - where they communicated on the project and we did too.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

That is how quickly they were able to get up to speed with the materials we already had. From day one their contributions to our team were noticeable. They align themselves to the goal of the project swiftly.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as a project manager for an international aid organisation with operations in multiple countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton, and what were your goals?

We needed to revamp our old website with a newer one to effectively give our message out, all while increasing the overall efficiency and integrate some new features like a tender portal, donations etc. to our main website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found Crafton through Clutch, and analysed the projects that they have listed. Their extensive experience in the government sector made it easier for us to choose them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We started off our work by explaining what our work is and what our goals were for the website. We also highlighted all the services we needed and wanted on our revamped website. Crafton was very clear with communication from the start and didn't stray away from the project scope.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had a project manager, 2 developers and 1 designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Crafton met all our expectations and made sure all deliverables were on time. The design was in line with our branding, and whenever we requested changes, they were done in a timely manner. Most features were integrated with finesse and they were quickly able to resolve any bugs that came up during testing.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had weekly standups on Slack, where progress was reviewed. Our main point of contact was the project manager, and she always responded on time and was very clear and upfront about any issues.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The speed of delivery, clear information all the way, and their understanding of our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

President of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton, and what were your goals?

Develop a new website for the company.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crafton and what were the deciding factors?

Through Clutch.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Develop a full website with an online store.

How many people from the Crafton team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3, project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project is delayed with poor communication and no outcome. Very little design has been done and the project is not progressing at all.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

It started with good communication, then there was constant argument about payment and currency rates and after two payments there is no progress or an attempt to finish the project or refund the payments.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Nothing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They need to work hard in order to finish their jobs.

Company Responses

The service provider responded on May 24, 2022.

The reviewer fails to mention that Crafton did all the designs they asked for, and the client initially approved them. We then waited for 8 months for the client’s feedback on how to progress further, and this is why the project has been delayed. 

Because of this long wait, with the project being on hold, our team members of course started working on other projects. Now that the client wanted to restart their project with us immediately, the resources were not available and we asked that they wait to kick off. Even after this long pause with very less communication, we of course offered to restart the project but asked that the client understand that our team members were not available straight away. 

In regard to the currency and payment, the client was never happy with the rate that was originally agreed upon, which was in line with the scope of the project, and continuously tried to negotiate the cost down. This led to additional project delays.

At Crafton, we take client feedback very seriously, and we always aim for client satisfaction to be the highest. We don't look at our clients as clients, but rather as partners. In light of what has happened in the past months, we find this review unjustified.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

it was media related company and I am business development manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton?

for web designing

SOLUTION

How did you select Crafton?

it was selected through very steps

Describe the project in detail.

Their overall service and management were impressive.

What was the team composition?

there was one manager and rest was sub-ordinates

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

web designing was very good

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

it was effective and timely

What did you find most impressive about this company?

their services and management

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing much