Legnd

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a brick/mortar retail company and wanted to start an online business that had not been setup before.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Legnd?

I hired Legnd to come in and setup a business that was similar to a very popular online subscription company (they ship you several things to try on, you buy what you keep), and we wanted to do that for scrubs. Rob was very excited and saw the potential.

I inquired about the payment gateways (something previously brought up) and if there would be holds the entire time and he said that could be a problem but nothing that couldn't be overcome and he could get the project completed in 6 weeks, tops. I was excited because I could sell subscriptions prior to Christmas of 2019.

What were your goals for this project?

I asked for realistic expectations only, and he said that it would take 2-3 sprints, max, at 2-3 weeks each sprint for a complete website, fully capable of what I want.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Rob sold me on his enthusiasm, his passion, the cost (he said they'd never come back for additional funding as everyone else continued to "re-quote" me), and that it would be resolved in no longer than 6 weeks. I found them initially on Clutch because of their rating. I got funded and hired them immediately based on what he told me.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We had multiple calls about website formats, which platforms we were going to use--all of which they said revolved on the "payment gateway" based on the hold time frame.

They reached out to another company--3 weeks into our project--and discussed something called Trynow.io--which is completely the opposite of a subscription box platform, but instead a shopping platform--which would completely change my entire business model.

On the call, when the representative from Trynow.io asked where we were at in the development stage, Rob stated that we were at the very beginning, as we were looking for the processing system to build around. They provided zero services to me.

After calling them out, they said I was being unrealistic since we were 4 weeks into the project (they quoted me no longer than absolutely six) with zero progress, and refunded me the first sprint. I had taken a loan out based on their guarantee to get the project done in a timely manner and begin seeing dividends.

I completed all tasks assigned to me (logo completion and other items) and they failed to complete one task in the entire 3 weeks. In 1 day, I found out they did not even need to worry about the card hold and found a solution to their card processing problem after 2 hours of research (Stripe, among others).

What was the team composition?

I don't know how many people were on the team as I only had contact with Rob. I had e-mailed the entire Legnd team but would only get responses back every 2nd or 3rd e-mail or so (all documented) only from him. Only had calls solely with that one individual, only met with him (I believe he was the only person in the Dallas region).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

I had taken out a loan to pay for this project as Legnd assured me they would have it finished in a timely manner. As such, loan payments have been coming and going without a website--or the revenue coming in from the expected subscription box website promised by the Legnd team. Financially, this project put a strain on my business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There was zero project management. If there was any, it wasn't effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Rob's passion. If it translated into actual work, they'd be great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everywhere. They failed in every aspect. They failed to listen, failed to communicate, failed to deliver, failed to help, failed to respond, and left a small company out to dry.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on March 17, 2020.

Thank you for this opportunity. While it’s never ideal to get a bad review of your work, we think it’s crucial to point out that no work was ever performed for this reviewer. The project didn’t progress into production for the reasons described below. We do think this reviewer highlights Legnd’s failsafe process that puts our clients in control:

1. There are no long-term commitments.
2. We work in bite-size chunks (called "sprints").
3. All of Legnd’s other 100+ online reviews are 100% positive.

Legnd adheres to Agile methodology; this means we work in small, pre-paid blocks of time referred to as "sprints." When a sprint ends, we deliver all outputs to the client so they may determine the goals of the next sprint and even choose a different direction or different agency. Such would have been the case here, however, in the discovery phase, we learned that the reviewer was unsatisfied with all of the available payment and fulfillment options.

We both determined it best to part ways. Within four days he was refunded 100% of his payment. Everything is documented in email and call notes, but unfortunately, we’re limited here to a 250-word response while the reviewer is not. Ultimately, this review is from a non-client. Understandably, the reviewer was upset with the situation, but we maintain that Legnd’s process worked as intended: the reviewer decided to change directions and we obliged within days. We do wish the reviewer all the best.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing manager and manager supervisor for Benson Dermatology. Our dermatology practice has four offices, two medical spas, and a cosmetic surgery division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Legnd?

Our website encompasses all three divisions of our practice; the dermatology practice, medical spa, and the cosmetic surgery clinic. It is a pretty large and technical website for a medical office. We needed someone who could handle a project of that scale and be able to complete detail-oriented work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Legnd designed a website for our practice. Their team worked with us hand in hand. We gave them concepts that we wanted and they returned with great ideas. Being in the medical industry, there are some legal restrictions. They walked us through these parameters, which was helpful and I never felt like I was bothering them.

The Legnd team also does SEO work for us, as well as graphic design. They felt that having our specials in a graphic would be catchier and more recognizable. Their team also continues to make updates on our backend. 

They gave suggestions that we hadn’t thought of incorporating into our site. For example, for cosmetic surgery, they suggested we put procedures that maybe men would be more apt to gravitate towards. We were maximizing our exposure and being more specific to our target audience. We got the best of both worlds by doing that, and that was a concept I never even thought of.

What is the team composition?

I usually send an email to the team, and Karrie (Project Manager, Legnd) usually handles it, but if it is about graphic design, for example, she will pass it on to another staff member. They will take that on and let me know who the person is that is handling it. Who I interact with just depends on what my request is. I was mostly in contact with Matt (Creative Director, Legnd) when we were developing the website.

How did you come to work with Legnd?

I began with the company in 2006, and Legnd were already working with us. The clinic owner has a personal relationship with the founders of Legnd, as his sons started it, and there is a level of trust there.

In time, our needs expanded, and they were able to accommodate that. When I began with the clinic, we had one office, and everything was included in that one location. As we grew and diversified, we needed someone to first give us that input as we are not experts in that. I am constantly looking for who could be the best at doing this for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $22,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Legnd began in 2006.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has optimized many features of a medical practice. Although the site is expansive, it is easily navigable.  Since switching to the new site, we have been getting a plethora of emails for a variety of reasons to all three of the sites. More patients are wanting to contact us and make an appointment, send pictures, or just to ask questions. This has led to an increase in hiring as well.

Since the site went live, we’ve begun to receive comments on its design. We get calls from individuals who work in marketing and tell us our website is awesome. To us, this is indicative of how successful the new site is. Customers frequently cite the website as the way they found our company. 

Legnd has become part of our team. I never feel uncomfortable providing feedback to them. We appreciate that they bought into our idea and were able to deliver what we desired. The Legnd team has exceeded my expectations.

How did Legnd perform from a project management standpoint?

They were so receptive. We typically communicate with Legnd through email, which is the fastest way for us. When we were developing the website, we had meetings where their team would show us different examples and options which was helpful. 

Legnd gives us a monthly performance report which has been incredible to help us see where we are at, where we are going, and how effective we have been. I can ask them any questions and they never make me feel ignorant. Anytime they make updates to our backend, they are done in a timely fashion, usually within a day. Communication is huge with any vendor. I have had bad experiences with other vendors who do not prioritize responding in a timely fashion. It has been wonderful to work with people we can trust.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Legnd really understands branding. Matt made sure that all three of our divisions were cohesively branded to clients. I appreciated that Legnd understood how important that was to us. 

They are proactive in making us better. They possess the expertise, creativity, and breadth of knowledge to help us connect to our target audience. 

I wear a lot of hats at work, dealing with personnel PR, HR, and so many other subject matters so I needed experts. I have learned so much from them because they are cutting edge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve done a wonderful job.