Multiplica

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and co-managing partner of a real estate design and development company, which is the parent company for an interior design studio and a workspace operator. We invest in our own proprietary real estate projects, including small residential holdings and shared workspaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Future Forward Inc.?

We hired The Future Forward Inc. to create our brand identity and develop websites for our three businesses.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Future Forward Inc. designed our original brand identity, from our logo to our websites. We provided them with inspiration for the look and feel that we wanted to achieve, and they ultimately came up with a brand new, unique identity.

When they worked on the subsequent companies within our parent company, they developed those brands so that they were consistent with the overall aesthetic of the parent company. They built our three websites from scratch.

What is the team composition?

My team worked with a designer and a developer.

How did you come to work with The Future Forward Inc.?

We did a decent amount of market research into branding and development firms that had worked for other design studios, and The Future Forward Inc. had done the brand identity and web design for a local design studio whose work we admired.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent around $40,000. The last project they did for us cost about $25,000, which was more than we’d spent on the previous projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June 2013–June 2017 on a project-by-project basis. Each project lasted 3–4 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They accurately captured the brand image we wanted to convey to clients.

How did The Future Forward Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Not only was the quality of their creative output great, but they did a great job managing the projects. They were focused on budget, process, and timely delivery. The final creative result was always excellent, and the journey to get there was invariably stress-free. We didn’t have to deal with complications or roadblocks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Future Forward Inc. builds websites from scratch. They don’t use templates or pre-existing tools; they’re actually coding and developing sites, which is what sets them apart.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; I’ve continued to work with them on three consecutive projects, which is an indication of how satisfied I am with everything they offer.

Any advice for potential customers?

As with any agency, set clear expectations about what you’re looking for from them. The Future Forward Inc. was good at listening to the brief and delivering on it, so the process ran itself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an associate at NEXT Architecture, an architecture and interior design firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Future Forward Inc?

We were looking to update our website and reposition our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Future Forward Inc built us a new website from scratch. Our new website is built on MODEX. They manage and host our site. Their team also performed SEO and built-in different ways for people to share our different projects or photos so social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

At one point we wanted to reduce costs and decided to put things up on our website ourselves, and The Future Forward Inc was really helpful. They did a training session so we could load the rest of our projects ourselves. 

What is the team composition?

We had two main points of contact, Nick (Managing Partner, The Future Forward Inc) and Jonathan (Creative Partner, The Future Forward Inc). 

How did you come to work with The Future Forward Inc?

We found them by looking at the websites of other architecture firms. As we found some that we liked a lot, we saw that they were credited to The Future Forward Inc. We liked that their website was simple and presented their past projects beautifully, which was exactly what we wanted. A friend who works in advertising in New York knew about them and said they were great, which was an extra comfort. We reached out to them and decided to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about $28,000. We also pay them $1,200 a year for maintenance. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with The Future Forward Inc ran from February–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did analysis to compare our opportunities from last year to those from this year, and while it's impossible to trace this to the website alone, we have noticed an increase in opportunities since the website was completed. We use Google Analytics and the traffic to our website has significantly increased. Additionally, we rank higher in searches now for our target keywords.

Our website is clean and streamlined, we get compliments from people across the board. We’ve been using it as a tool in the office and when we meet new people we always pull up the new site to show the different work that we’re doing. Customers also love that they can share our projects on social media and our online presence has improved overall.

How did The Future Forward Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at project management. Things always come up, but they were very straightforward with us on timelines. I always knew what was going on. Nick is a very good communicator. We had a couple of issues on scrolling and transitions, but I struggle to even call them issues. It was a process of us looking at things together and working around anything that came up.

The Future Forward Inc sent us still images as PDFs. Within the PDFs they had links to AVI files that would show us animations of how the website would work. Our team would mark them up and send them back. Additionally, we would have conference calls so they could present everything to us remotely. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Future Forward Inc was a great creative partner. The website they delivered was truly unique from their other work. Nothing they create is formulaic. They create a clean design with simple storytelling, nothing is gimmicky. It was very clear that they were doing something fresh and creative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they were more local to us so that we could talk to them in person. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal because they did come to our office for an initial meeting. Overall, I don’t have any bad things to say, it was an easy process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing at Bold New York, a real estate creative marketing service. We over web design, web development, and branding for new or re-developments in all five boroughs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Future Forward Inc.?

We were looking to design a website for a building development in downtown Brooklyn.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Future Forward Inc. developed a WordPress site from scratch. We began with a phone call where our teams went through a series of discovery questions. This then led to the first phase of site mapping.

Their team showed us site mockups through InVision. The Future Forward Inc. sent us three variations of a home page and a secondary page. Once we selected one of these versions, they designed the remaining pages based on our continued feedback. 

They finished with the development phase once we had signed off on all of the designs. The process was very fluid and we got to see development links ad they progressed. The CMS is managed through WordPress but their team did some custom work as well.

What is the team composition?

We had two main points of contact on their team, Nick (Managing Partner, The Future Forward Inc.) and John (Creative Partner, The Future Forward Inc.). 

How did you come to work with The Future Forward Inc.?

I frequently visit a site called Site Inspire for web design inspiration and saw an architectural site that The Future Forward Inc. has worked on. Their work was impressive, but I ultimately reached out because I saw that they were Brooklyn-based.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from June–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get regular analytic feedback and the website has been very successful. We have seen an increase in conversions through the contact form on the site which is our main KPI. The site was also featured on Site Inspire, which is a difficult process to get featured. We have received good feedback on the design of the site. 

How did The Future Forward Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with The Future Forward Inc. has been great. We have had steady communication through phone calls and email. Nick gives me regular weekly updates on our progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the ability to simplify our vision into a streamlined design. The Future Forward Inc. created something really sleek and simple that really cleaned up the UX on the frontend. Our site is much easier for the user to navigate thanks to their team. 

Their development was also great and the site works really well. They’re a great group to work with. We’ll continue to use them in the future if we have the right scope for their team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you communicate with their team the easier the process will be. It’s important to share both your needs and even future plans for the site, which includes how it might scale or any additional features you might want to add. Things could potentially come up so it helps to make sure there are no surprises. Building your expectations and making sure your teams are on the same page will make that process easier, especially if you expect changes down the road.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m presently the director of client development with VMDO Architects and formerly the director of marketing and business development for Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, recipient of the American Insititute of Architects’ “Firm of the Year” award in 2014.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Future Forward?

We had challenges with visibility and length of stay. The former website had been designed by a local advertising agency, and while it had unique graphic design, it lacked the best protocols for navigation, backend analytics, and SEO. We also had to call the agency each time we wanted to incorporate video and widgets. It needed coding updates, too. Lastly, we wanted to position the brand to reflect the firm’s growth, expertise, culture, and process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We selected The Future Forward through a thorough RFP and interview process. The Future Forward launched their engagement by a 5-question survey followed by two separate trips to New Orleans to work with our broad studio in an effective and efficient way. 

In tandem with the web design overhaul, The Future Forward was developing a new brand identity and accompanying design guidelines. Once the design guidelines were complete and there was consensus on the website navigation, the site was wireframed and populated. Our internal team continued populating the site, with regular feedback to the Future Forward team.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Nick (Managing Partner, The Future Forward, Inc.) and Jonathan (Creative Partner, The Future Forward, Inc.). There were additional talented folks involved behind the scenes as well. Nick was our regular and consistent point of contact, and Jonathan would weigh in as needed, for art direction.

How did you come to work with The Future Forward?

EDR had a comprehensive crowd-sourced list of nearly 20 web designers. We issued an RFP to five of those firms in mid-January 2018 and had Skype interviews with them in late-January, finally selecting Future Forward.

How much have you invested with them?

I left the firm in early November. At that time, we were commissioned for nearly $70,000. They pulled off a remarkable breadth and depth of services including new branding and accompanying design guidelines and website design. Other firms had quoted over $100,000 for similar services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Contractually we collaborated from March 2018 - February 2019. I understand that EDR is continuing the collaboration with additional website hosting and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our bounce rate has decreased significantly since the launch and the length of stay has increased by over one minute. The site has improved aesthetically and now marries with the expertise and design acumen of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. I’ve recommended Future Forward to other architectural firms and PR/marketing professionals within the industry.

How did The Future Forward perform from a project management standpoint?

Nick would respond within 48 hours of any inquiry. We mostly communicated over phone calls and email. We would also have Skype calls and walk through wireframes at regular intervals. It was remarkably streamlined—even with the FF team in Brooklyn and our stakeholders in New Orleans.

Remarkably, The Future Forward met our modest budget and really achieved the consensus that we needed, from a design perspective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They certainly provided the backend technologies and SEO support. They were brilliant at meeting my budget and building design consensus with my team of design professionals. Most importantly, they really understood us and nailed our identity, really getting it finely nuanced through every touch.

We were very clear that we did not want a template site. We wanted a unique visitor experience. One that would attract a visitor through design and keep them on the site for the layers of expertise. Future Forward was able to deliver a unique, specialized website that reflected our brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish there were more Jonathans and Nicks. They both are responsive, hands-on, and they envelop the clients with whom they’re collaborating. I applaud them for being so selective of the clients they take on—I’m really fortunate that we were able to work with them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

First, hire them.

Second, do your homework before hiring a web designer. In order to maximize our modest budget, we had internally identified:

• Clear and tangible goals for the website
• An internal delivery team and process, setting aside dates for weekly meetings, studio-wide charettes, and key milestone dates
• Precedent websites for our criteria (aesthetics, navigation, culture, blogs, and case studies)
• A timeline with ample time on the backend for population

This was clearly outlined in an objective RFP, through which we make a selection.

Finally, map out a timeframe, Know the budget and decide if you want a third-party web company to populate the site, or if that will come from internal staff, and budget accordingly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Ecommerce Manager at Costa Farms

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the largest horticulture and grower in USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Multiplica to accomplish?

• SEO
• Web Site UX and Coding

SOLUTION

How did you find Multiplica?

• Referral

Why did you select Multiplica over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Multiplica were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Multiplica is our external 3 Patty vendor and they developed our SEO strategy and tactics . They manage our Mo they SEO. We also hired them to be our 3rd party de eloped for Shopify

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Project still ongoing. Milestones have been met as planned and the communication is frecuent and fluid . They always get back to us with flllow ups and next steps .

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Great management of project milestones, follow up and follow through .

What was your primary form of communication with Multiplica?

• Virtual Meeting

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

The people. Well integrated and in top of their tasks. The level of expertise in their areas is impressive .

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

I feel great about this first experience with Multiplica . Great sales team, great customer service and a great team of experts .

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Revenue Growth of an InsurTech Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Global Insurtech company, that considers digital professionals focused on enhancing the digital strategies/channels across LATAM

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Multiplica to accomplish?

• Maximize the revenue from digital strategies
• Technical support for digital teams to test new ideas and tools.

SOLUTION

How did you find Multiplica?

Referral

Why did you select Multiplica over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Multiplica were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

A) Workshops: Plan, coordinate and deliver workshops for the Company and its Affinity Partners using a design thinking framework. 

B) Front-end and GTM/GA development work to provide solutions to digital marketing and user experience requirements. 

C) Performance analysis to provide new ideas for digital revenue growth.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Process improvements (delivered team products) and business growth

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Always on time and promoting open and constant communication

What was your primary form of communication with Multiplica?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their team culture was second to none.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the head of Consumer Solutions Design which at Chubb Latam. I oversee the design of new digital protection solutions for our consumer division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Multiplica?

They helped us organize co-creation workshops with affinity partners using consumer research and design thinking techniques.

SOLUTION

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

I did an RFP, received proposals from 3 agencies and selected Multiplica based on their clear understanding of our needs, breath of services, presence in many Latam countries and budget.

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

The project is confidential, but I can say that it had 5 key stages: audience analysis, competitive analysis, definition of objective, planning of design thinking dynamics and team groups, design/printing of materials, moderation of workshop and delivery of final report.

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

1 Account manager 1 Design service 2 UX researcher

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Re-hire Multiplica for new projects in 2023

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, open and constant communication

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

Their flexibility to do things right, regardless of delays on our side, was impressive. 

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

Put more effort in the final report, the work they do is outstanding, but it is not well communicated in their reports.