Meticulosity

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Yellow Letters Complete. We produce truly handwritten direct mail. Our clients are primarily in real estate—investors, agents, and other professionals—and we work across several other industries, including insurance and car dealerships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

Our website was over 10 years old, and it hadn’t had a significant update in that time. We wanted to offer a cleaner e-commerce experience and do a bit of a rebranding exercise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Meticulosity designed and developed our new WooCommerce WordPress site. They worked with us to totally change the appearance of the brand, with new logos, colors, and typeface. 

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with Dave (Founder & CEO) and a couple of project managers from Meticulosity.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

Clutch was part of my review process — I found Meticulosity and a number of different options there. I put out the project for bid, and I took a heavy look at the firms’ portfolios. I very much liked the designer from Meticulosity that would be involved in our project. 

They weren’t the cheapest option by any means, but their past work demonstrated that the extra cost would translate into higher quality design and experience. Our company is detail-focused, and we consider that the little things that we do differently have a big impact on our customers.

For me, it was very important to display that upfront. When someone came to our website, I wanted them to experience a different feeling about direct mail, one which no other website that I’ve seen has been able to convey. I felt that Meticulosity’s portfolio was compatible with that goal.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost, so far, is in the order of $60,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Meticulosity in December 2018, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have precise metrics off the top of my head, but for every month we’ve had the website up and running, our e-commerce sales have improved, even through the downturn period we’ve experienced.

More importantly, the quality of the sales we’re receiving is much higher. We’re achieving a more profitable per-piece price because we’re able to demonstrate to clients what it is that they’re buying and why that’s different from the more standard options some of our competitors may be offering, and we’re also able to offer more customizations and add-ons.

The other metric I look at is the number of sample packs being requested. The number of people that want to see samples of our physical materials has definitely improved over last year when we had the old website.

Overall, we had the project scoped out pretty well upfront. The designs were stunning and spectacular from the first draft, and we didn’t have to do many revisions. When I get work from Meticulosity, it is always high-quality.

The e-commerce experience is high-quality, and there was a lot of customization from a development perspective, which enables a lot of customization for my customers, leading to more profitable orders. 

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

The original delivery date we were given was June 2019, but the ultimate delivery didn’t come until April 2020. The timeline was far from my expectations. 

I’ve worked with a number of project managers there, and Dave was involved with the project at every step of the way. He gave me a lot of confidence that things were being handled appropriately, but it would’ve been nicer to have a more consistent team throughout the project. That may or may not have contributed to the timing delays.

I brought up the delays with Dave throughout the process, and he was there at every step of the way. He would deliver incremental progress, as it became available. That was good, but going from a six- to an eighteen-month project was far from ideal.

Dave wasn’t unresponsive, and I’m sure that he was dealing with whatever slowdowns were going on behind the scenes. We went through a couple of different project managers, but I was always able to rely on Dave. He always got back to me, even if the answer was that he needed a few weeks to deliver something. He at least gave me a straight answer, whether it was positive or not. Dave did as much as he could to keep me apprised of things.

There was a communication mix-up that happened early on, where they launched some work that they thought I’d approved for billing, but they never really asked me the question. When we figured out what was going on, they didn’t keep me on the hook for the work that was not approved, but they still gave me the benefit of it. I appreciated that and they did right by the situation.

When push came to shove, Meticulosity stepped up and did what was needed to keep the client happy. The latest project we did with them was a small feature, but their process has improved in terms of getting the project well-scoped and quickly executed. I feel much more confident working with them now than at that juncture.

We’ve done a small project for a new software-based feature we’re launching for the direct mail business, and we had a very different process there versus the previous design and development work.

They did their homework and came back with a couple of different proposals with clear pricing, I had one project manager throughout the thing, they came back with questions and set expectations on timing, and they delivered within the deadline. We had a couple of bumps during the initial development project, but I’ve definitely seen improvements on all of those. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think that we have a beautiful website, and I’m extremely proud of the way it looks. Its design, aesthetics, and experience are completely unlike anything else in the direct mail industry. I wanted our customers to have a completely different feeling when they visited our site versus anyone else’s, and Meticulosity has really done a good job of accomplishing that. 

When I look at a lot of generic competitor sites, my feeling is that they’re geared toward economics and efficiency but I wanted to bring out the beauty and truth of something that’s truly handwritten. When someone goes to our website, it hits them in the face that they’re dealing with something different than any other direct mail websites they might be looking at. That’s the main thing I value Meticulosity for. 

They achieved a site that’s unique, different, and beautiful to stand out in a straightforward industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My main critique is that Meticulosity’s timing was very far off from my expectations and from what I thought we were agreeing to upfront. I’ve seen some improvement in their management and I feel more confident in working with them now. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should make sure to get Dave involved. A new client should make sure they know the team and who the point person will be, and make sure all their questions are answered upfront. That way, when the time comes for Meticulosity to do what they do best—which is to create beautiful websites—they can just focus and get it done instead of cleaning up details after the fact. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the associate director of marketing at Dixon Advisory USA, a real estate investment trust.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

We’ve contracted with Meticulosity for a wide range of web development updates to our existing site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As one of our subsidiaries has expanded, we’ve worked with Meticulosity to further expand our website as well. They have readjusted our sitemap, added landing pages and sub-pages, and optimized certain pages. We’ve explored A/B testing to examine why certain pages perform better than others. We rely on them for ongoing support and building into our existing framework.

Their greatest involvement has been their work with HubSpot. None of our HubSpot pages were originally built with flexible modules, which means that whenever we needed something changed, we had to contact our initial developers. Meticulosity changed all of our modules to flexible modules, which gives us the ability to make minor changes much more quickly.

What is the team composition?

We initially worked with the president and later with an account representative, who was the liaison between us and the development team.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

We were on retainer with another web developer, but we didn’t feel we were getting our money’s worth from that relationship. We were handed off from one project manager to the next, and we needed somebody more reliable. In addition to being HubSpot-certified, we searched for a firm that demonstrated the ability to complete projects with tight deadlines. We felt Meticulosity fit that description, and after looking at their portfolio, we realized that many of their previous websites looked similar to ours and were visually impressive.

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly retainer fee is $11,250.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in February 2018 and remains ongoing. We have signed on for a full-time partnership with no end date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t work with them for one-off projects. We have 90 hours monthly that we pay for, and whatever crops up in a month, that’s what they help with. We’ve received positive reviews, but what’s more notable is that they have made managing our website much easier.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is done correctly the first time and within our timelines. We deal with a number of last-minute requests because of the nature of New York real estate, but they’ve been wonderful in accommodating our requests. Everything is done prior to our deadlines. We’ve never had a late project. We usually have weekly calls where we discuss certain tasks, and then we submit those tickets in their client portal, which is Accelo-based.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our Australian parent company has signed on with Meticulosity as well, and they have also had a positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we have been satisfied with their service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anything you can provide them to learn more about your business will be beneficial for them. Their understanding of our business, and the fact this isn’t a one-off project has made it so that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel with each new task we go to them for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of Little Footprint. We are an online retail business dedicated to providing high-quality children’s clothing and organic cotton clothing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

A few of my suppliers and prospective suppliers said that my website was outdated and not very functional to use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped build a new logo and designed our Magento website. I sent them ideas of what I wanted with the rebranding and design. Their designer sent several types of rebrand images and logos to choose from. They also built a loyalty reward program into the website.

They’ve built several extensions since the initial redesign and rebrand. They do monthly security checks and maintain the website.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with two of their team members.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

I was happy with my previous website developer, but as I needed more, they weren’t able to provide those services. The managing director of that company had worked with them before and recommended Meticulosity to me.

Their CEO contacted me. We had several in-depth conversations about what I wanted from the rebrand and redesign and then, we came up with a plan and timelines. Their proposal was very good. I sought advice from friends who work in a similar business, and they thought it was fantastic.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$49,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on the project from July–September 2016. Since then, we have been on a monthly retainer for maintenance and updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The extensions they’ve built have contributed to a massive 31% increase in sales. The system they developed on the website made the user experience far more pleasurable for the customer. I often get emails from clients who are surprised that it functions as well as it does. The simple Magento system is much easier to navigate in the back office. Meticulosity always sends emails with information on how to use specific features and extensions which free up my time to work better and not have to spend as much time on the admin side of things.

The loyalty reward program has generated some really faithful fans. I can’t put into words how amazing that was.

They’re an essential part of our company and its growth.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very personal. You’re almost like a friend to them. They start to know what you like and who your target audience is. They tailor what they think based on how they know you. We communicate via telephone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never worked with another company that has been as responsive. When I asked them to make changes, they were always prompt. They’ve always replied promptly to my emails. They’re excellent communicators. They’ve always taken care and time in responding to me, despite having much larger clients than me. I’ve not experienced that level of care and trust. Whenever I come up with an idea, all I have to do is drop them an email, and they get back to me with suggestions and the advantages of each of them. It’s been a very positive experience.

Meticulosity’s designer was fantastic. It was difficult to narrow down my selections because they were all such fantastic designs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have dedicated representatives in different countries. Some companies are deterred by working with someone overseas because they can’t have a face-to-face meeting.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them frequently and keep them updated. Let them know what your plans are. Always respond to their emails. If you have an idea, ask if it will work. They’re a very personal company and they treat everybody in their own personal way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development manager for Extreme Molding. We’re a contract injection molder, specializing in silicone and plastic injection molding, as well as the individual packaging and global fulfillment at the end of the product stream. The industries we focus in on are infant and female, healthcare, class one medical products, pet industry, and the high-end consumer industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

We wanted to attract higher quality leads. We wanted to redo the website because in addition to attracting entrepreneurs we wanted to also attract larger businesses. We wanted to streamline it and optimize the keyword searches, as well as boosting our standings on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned our website, migrating us from WordPress to HubSpot. It made a huge difference in keeping track and not losing sight of leads. We’re able to filter them and quickly sort through them. They also did blog posts, working to come up with timely and resourceful topics. Most of the things we do have to be proprietary as we’re not manufacturing our own products. They helped us find those different things that we could use to advertise ourselves.

What is the team composition?

Dave (CEO, Meticulosity), Amy (Sr. Inbound Marketing Specialist, Meticulosity), and Tanya (Chief Marketing Officer, Meticulosity) were really supportive in assisting me. They always operated as a team so we were never stuck with one person.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

Dave was found through networking as a local connection and helped setup our website years ago. We decided that we needed to modernize our website and since Dave stayed in touch with us, we wanted to work with him in doing so. When we needed assistance, we would always reach out to them and they were very helpful. We went with a different company to launch our website in 2014 from a personal referral, but we didn’t see a huge improvement or influx of traffic and knew we needed to change. When we were ready to redo the website, we decided to go back to Dave and give him a chance.

​​​​​​How much have you invested with them?

$50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2017 until January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since relaunching the website, we’ve had close to 200 leads in a short period of time. Within the first two months of the new website, we’ve closed the single largest purchase order that we’ve ever received as a company. We’ve not put in any keyword searches yet, but producing meaningful and relevant blogs with them has made a huge difference. These and our Facebook posts boost our rankings on social media and search engines. We’ve seen a pretty large influx of leads because of that.

Working with the team helped us become more engaged in social media. They recommended that we started posting blogs, updating Facebook, and taking advantage of the technology available to us to get our name out there. Our exposure has been increasing with pieces in the local news, so we hope to attract more business soon.

The migration to HubSpot has been excellent and things improved significantly since then. There was a time that we were tracking everything in Excel and it was painful. If I didn’t save it properly or I didn’t remember that I made the change, then it wasn’t tracked.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

It went well. They’re very transparent and honest. They always delivered and better than we expected. We did have one main point of contact, but there was a steady stream of communication internally because if we emailed somebody and forgot to copy the other person, everybody was still in sync.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked that they sold us things that they work with as well. They use HubSpot and explained how they used it has helped me to understand how we can use it. We pride ourselves on customer service. The best customer you can have is a repeat customer and we’re that for them as it’s been so positive. They’ve been very good and helpful. We appreciate all the hard work they put in. They’re intelligent and passionate about what they do, which creates a really good company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They continue to assist us. They’re not afraid to take on new challenges or promoting different things. We’ve been very happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their instinct and the process. In a short amount of time, we saw things improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of finance and operations at The Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, a statewide nonprofit that helps families and children living in poverty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

Our website was cumbersome and visually unappealing. We wanted a vendor to redesign the site on a manageable platform, and with enhanced text and graphics. The site also needed user-friendly navigation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We requested multiple wireframe and design options. Meticulosity subcontracted a designer for these services. They built the site to reflect our vision and provided subsequent training for the new platform. To enable donation captures, we asked them to connect the new site to the CRM. Users also needed to access the newsletter.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we interacted with the CEO. We communicated with the director of development during later stages.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

We distributed an RFP to several companies, including Meticulosity. The CEO responded promptly. We asked about their comfort working with a nonprofit and whether they’d use subcontractors. Our team also wanted clear communication during the collaboration and an active role in development.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $9,000 during development. Ongoing annual fees are $520 for hosting and $125 for tech support.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in mid-2013 and ended in September. Currently, they provide ongoing support and hosting for two sites.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had limited measurable data because our team didn’t track analytics. The CEO helped make navigation logical; the drop-down menu made pages easy to find.

Currently, the website still contains too much text compared to graphics. We will re-engage them for an update. Their service is consistently good. They’re not the cheapest, but also not expensive.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very patient explaining concepts and providing training. The team was responsive and critical to making final decisions, such as choosing between wireframes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We don’t have the experience to compare them to other vendors. However, Meticulosity met our expectations for results and service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our office was too small to interact with their team in an efficient manner. We needed help to optimize communication channels.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

During development, we discovered that design changes would increase the price. Training was exceptionally helpful and the team was open to feedback. They’re a sophisticated agency. They’ve provided better service than cheaper alternatives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Algamus Recovery Center, which is one the nation’s few residential addiction program specifically for gambling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

We wanted to replace our SEO agency because we were unhappy with their performance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their services include: SEO targeting, ad copy design, and an e-book publication on women in gambling. We recently advertised with organizations for veterans, first responders, and professional athletes in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. Meticulosity also developed an automated ad tool; users get a prompt with my photo suggesting they call me and learn more about our services.

Last summer, I attended a marketing seminar with Google representatives they had brought down from Arizona. I spoke with the representatives for at least an hour about our rankings and how Google could do more to support our business.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with the owner, the director of marketing, and her assistant.

How did you come to work with Meticuloisty?

A group of medical professionals in the Washington, D.C. area referred me to them. I interviewed them and decided they’d be a good fit. Their professional demeanor stood out.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $8,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in 2015 and is ongoing because we’re always looking for creative ways to expand our business. Currently, we’re trying to combat search engine difficulties in the addiction industry with alternative solutions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Qualitatively, results have been excellent, but quantitively not quite as stellar quantitively. We had a slight drop off in 2016 that operational factors may have caused, not so much their performance. Traffic has increased and specific keyword rankings have improved. Our focus on gambling and women in gambling have also helped boost our rankings.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive and work collaboratively to maximize our client flow. We have bi-weekly phone meetings that supplement the weekly email reports I receive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They individualize services to each client. I saw the founder do this at the conference in Grand Cayman. They have a family-oriented approach to business relationships; nothing feels generic with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I'm very pleased with what they're doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The keys to success with Meticulosity are: transparency, candidness, and excellent communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: Dinn Bros. Inc. is a trophy manufacturing company that’s been around for 62 years. We work in the consumer and B2B markets through both direct mail and online via our website. I’m the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

R1: We needed to make our website mobile-responsive in order get a favorable Google rating.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: Meticulosity worked on our Magento website. We worked on two projects together, the first of which was becoming mobile-responsive. We had an interview with them to talk about what needed to be done (e.g., timelines) and so on. They came back with a quote, and we worked everything out.

Magento is bringing out the second version of the platform in January 2019, so we have to upgrade our existing site to it. Meticulosity is doing that for us now.

What is the team composition?

R1: We’ve dealt with a couple of people from their team consistently.

Respondent 2: I deal with one of their project managers who also has development skills. He’s able to answer any technical questions that may come up. I’ve also worked with their lead developer. They have other people working in the background, but those are the two main people we’ve interacted with.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

Respondent 3: I looked around online and found another trophy company’s website that caught my eye. I contacted them and received some information about a developer in the Albany, New York area, which is where Meticulosity was originally from. They had trophy experience—particularly with the multiple variables that come with our type of product.  

R1: We received quotes and spoke to three different developers in order to see what the best fit for our organization was.

How much have you invested with them?

R1: The total cost has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

R2: Proposals were issued in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: Meticulosity has fulfilled everything they’ve promised and our pricing has remained the same with no misinterpretations around the project’s complexity.

The Magento 2 upgrade hasn’t been released yet, so we can’t mention anything about its impact. The mobile work was done in order to keep us within Google’s good graces on the organic side, so I can’t give specific numbers here either.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

R2: I would rate them highly. They’ve been responsive when we need something done quickly. They always acknowledge that they’ve gotten our messages so that we’re not left wondering.  

R1: We had an unrelated issue with our credit-card processing company where they told us that there was an issue with our site and that we had to upgrade certain parts. We went back to Meticulosity who told us that the issue was really with the processing company. They really dedicated themselves to helping us out with the problem because they knew it would hurt our company if we couldn’t process credit cards. They’ve even worked after business hours to help us with some things.

R2: They told us we could use Jira if we wanted to, but we’ve been comfortable with email communication. It’s worked well for us so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: They’re an honorable company. They do what they promise and don’t backtrack.

R3: We spent a lot more time on tracking and project management with our previous developer. Everything has been great with Meticulosity.

R2: They ask fewer questions because they ask the right questions. The company is small enough to ramp up or down as needed, but they also have resources available when we need them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: Improvements are more on our end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R1: Clients should make sure they provide the specifics of the work in order to give the developer a real understanding of what they need to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are California Closets. I'm the website manager, responsible for making sure that the website stays functional and products and content are kept up-to-date.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

We were having issues with sloppy code and projects not being completed on time from our current development team, which was an outside agency. When things were pushed to production, it wasn't working in the way that they were supposed to. We were looking for a responsible developer who could deliver stuff on time, within budget, and that everyone – from the creative team to the franchises that we serve – would be happy with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because we just started our relationship with Meticulosity, they've been helping to go back and clean up the messy code from what was there before. We're in the scoping phases of launching a second website for our Canadian franchises, and they're going to be doing top to bottom development work for that. It's a lead generation site, so we're trying to get those leads in the door so that our franchisees can go out. Part of that project is also rebuilding the backend CMS [content management system] in a completely new way that would let us be more flexible and have the ability to not rely on development so much. Right now, we need a template that we have to code the development to build it out. Doing this will give us the ability to be nimbler to update and create so that we can move on to bigger and better projects as opposed to constantly building out these templates. We have one project manager and four dedicated developers.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

I had worked with Meticulosity in the past when I was an e-commerce manager at Ghirardelli in 2008-2009 and knew the work the company could do. I reached out to them to see if they could help.

How much have you invested with Meticulosity?

For the Canadian project, we have a scope of $100,000, and it might go up depending on how things land. We have hired them on an ongoing retainer as on-call developers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since November 2016. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We always had a very long lead time with the previous agency with deliverables that wouldn't look the way we originally specified or wouldn't function the way we expected it to. With Meticulosity, I give them the stuff and, depending on the size of the project, they always deliver it sooner than I ever expect it.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

They always exceed expectations in every way. If there's something that I expect to take 60 days, I'll get it in half that time. It's been a great experience, and I love working with them.

What did you most impressive about Meticulosity?

Everyone on the marketing team that I work with, from my digital director and my creative team, loves them. It might just be because of where we came from, but everyone is singing their praises. We love working with them.

Are there any areas Meticulosity could improve?

Not that I've come across so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Cayman Enterprise City is a special economic zone being built in the Cayman Islands in order to attract technology and media companies from around the world to set up a physical presence in the zone.

What is your position?

I am the Vice President of Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Meticulosity?

We needed help in developing a PPC campaign on Google and with upgrading our website. We don’t have technical people so this was going to be impossible for us without the support of a partner. The idea was to find someone reliable to handle these two things, and potentially serve as a long-term resource for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Meticulosity originally built a custom website for us. They ended up creating 14 different sites and landing pages in total. We have a general website with no e-commerce section, login functionalities or anything of that nature. It was developed as a lead generation tool, specifically for inbound inquiries to which we respond through calls. We reach out to people from all over the world who have an interest in our zone. Meticulosity has also helped us with inbound marketing.

During September of 2015, we did away with many of the initial sites and relaunched using a HubSpot platform. Meticulosity has helped us manage and implement this approach. They've trained our staff for the blogging functionalities and so on.

How did you come to work with Meticulosity?

Meticulosity is one of the companies that set up offices within our special economic zone. I met their president and Chief Executive Officer a few years ago at one of our networking events, and liked the look of what they did. We started a few small projects together, ultimately coming to use Meticulosity as our main provider.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have an ongoing collaboration with Meticulosity. We keep them on a retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

When we switched to the new website in September, 2015, which entailed moving to the HubSpot platform, Meticulosity encouraged us to add a lot more content, which they helped create. We were also given a tool that helped grade the tool for SEO [search engine optimization] purposes. Since launching that site, our inbound leads have doubled. I'm very happy with that.

The site is fantastic. The only part which wasn't built by Meticulosity is the jobs portal. It was done by another provider and linked to the main page. The only problems we've ever had have been with that jobs portal, not with anything created by Meticulosity.

How did Meticulosity perform from a project management standpoint?

As far as the relationship is concerned, Meticulosity has remained extremely responsive to us. This was very important to me. Much of what we do is time-sensitive, but they've always gotten back to us immediately. Clients have to stick to deadlines as well, so our side was usually responsible for extended projects. Meticulosity has been good in this respect.

We have recently been assigned a new project manager and are considering using Basecamp or another project tracking tool in the future. Basecamp is used for internal company projects, as well as for our collaboration with a public relations agency in the US.

What distinguishes Meticulosity from other providers?

I appreciate Meticulosity's speed and responsiveness. We are a very fast-paced company and usually request things be made at the last moment and within little time. Meticulosity has been fantastic in this regard.

Is there anything Meticulosity could have improved or done differently?

I think that Meticulosity has improved its drawbacks by hiring more staff. They've grown rapidly since September, and I'm very happy to have our new account manager. We've had a good relationship in the past with the company, but it's even better now. I'm excited to start new projects with Meticulosity.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are the manufacturer of special rum cakes, and we have a line of Caribbean products under our label that we sell throughout the Caribbean, North America, and Europe.

What is your position?

I am the director of brand development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address when you first approached Meticulosity?

We had an archaic website that we needed to be optimized for mobile. It just really needed updating, in general. We wanted to ensure that that we had an offshore transaction mechanism because our company is not in the United States. Meticulosity assisted us in ensuring the back-end could facilitate all of our needs. This also helped with the fulfillment side, which is done in the United States. Our back-end was 3DCart and we were so pleased with their work that we are actually going through another upgrade with them, and transitioning over to Magento.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the actual scope of work assigned to them during this engagement?

The company developed and designed the website. One of the most valuable things to us was the data that they provided us on how to effectively promote our best selling items, positioning, reviews, and making sure we were all meeting the consumer's needs. We are now able to present our visuals in a more intuitive and engaging way. We were engaged in the process and they worked closely with us. We provided them with all of the graphics and copy, and they positioned it into the various sections to give the site an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly look. They sent us various options, and we would select what we liked.

They were highly instrumental in ensuring that the back-end spoke to our fulfillment firm's platform. The company that does our fulfillment is moving to SAP [systems, applications, & products], so they are going to make sure that the back-end works with SAP and everything flows smoothly out to the shipping platform. They were hands-on the entire time. Someone flew up to Miami and wouldn't leave until everything worked and flowed properly. They were always there when you needed them.

How did you come to choose Meticulosity as your partner?

Their business was referred to us through our chairman, who received an email. I guess they were reaching out through their contacts, and that's how we managed to begin working with them. They were one of the companies that we explored, and we identified them as best suited for the job out of the three companies we were looking at. What helped us the most was that their business was based in New York and the Caribbean, so we felt that they had an understanding of our needs more deeply than our other choices.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they've done for you?

Maybe $25,000 or a little more.

What were the results of the project?

They completed our first website three years ago, and is now doing the new build with a new back-end, which is expected to launch in the next four weeks [2015].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance or the overall success of this engagement?

Our business has experienced some challenges in recent years, mainly due to the ever-changing technology in today's world. As we're trying to make changes, they have been instrumental in identifying what we hope will be a hand-in-glove situation with growth for the long term. From a project management perspective, everything was perfectly fine. They've always been very responsive. I've never had trouble trying to reach them.

When working with Meticulosity, is there anything that you would consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors?

They are very hands-on. When you're working on a project like this, being hands-on and providing updates are very important. They do an excellent job at that.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

I would love if they would offer digital marketing as an option, just by virtue of the trust factor and our level of satisfaction through the years in his performance. Most businesses like to continue to work with partners they trust and work well with, so offering more products and services would be helpful. We'd like to have one company that helps us manage it all.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

I don't really have any specific advice to offer. They are a great company to work with.