My Left Foot

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Communications Lead for WISE Trust. WISE Trust – Workplace Insurance and Safety Employee Trust – is the defined benefit pension plan for almost 10,000 active, deferred, and retired workplace insurance and safety employees of Ontario. As the Communications Lead, I strategize and execute on our brand by crafting regular communications to our members and telling our brand story.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire My Left Foot, and what were your goals?

Our web presence was horrible! We had created a website over 15 years ago to help people find information but it was very out of date, both in terms of content and technical details. The site was functional, but not attractive. Our members had a hard time finding it. We had 3 goals in mind for creating a new website:

1. Create a one-stop-shop for members to go to – making it easier for members to find what they are looking for
2. Provide a seamless user experience – regardless of device, ability, or participating employer
3. Build a site for the future – one that will keep up with the times and give our members the experience they expect.

We hiring My Left Foot to execute these goals by building us a brand new website.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to our contacts at other pension plans and My Left Foot came with a strong recommendation. We met with them, introduced them to our Board of Trustees, and were able to sign with them quickly. We felt that they understood the pension business and were looking to be our partner, not just another vendor.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and timeline. My Left Foot then put together a project plan based on this, and included some buffer room for our feedback time since we know we can be a bit slow when we have to involve different groups in-house. Next, we met with My Left Foot and our Board of Trustees to more accurately capture our vision. They were so attentive and picked up on things I didn't even notice. Next, they created the AI for the site and presented it to us. They always welcomed feedback and explained why/why not things would work certain ways. Excellent creative partners.

When we got to the content writing stage, My Left Foot helped to write some of the content and provided some edits on content we wrote. The storyboards were then presented and we had 3 options to choose from. This was great because it allowed us to pick our favourite and make some suggestions. We also got a chance to test some of the website with our members which was a great success because their feedback proved to be very valuable and helped shaped what was to come.

Off to work My Left Foot went, giving us weekly updates. Eventually we picked the imagery for the website, most of which they suggested to us. We got to the final stage where we got to make last minute edits on the site before it went live. As for the technical side of things, My Left Foot handled it ALL with our IT Team and made it very seamless for me. I can't speak to the details but what I can tell you, is that they worked extremely well with our IT team and they were very collaborative.

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

We worked directly with David (President) and Lindsay (VP). They were a fantastic duo!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the site, we have received extremely positive feedback from our members and other partners we work with. What was especially impressive was that our regulator, FSRA, was impressed with our website. We have seen traffic on the site like we never had before! We barely had anyone visiting our old website on a regular basis.

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

We had weekly meeting with My Left Foot for the first half of the project as they were figuring out the vision and going through the storyboards with us. We often received updates via email from Lindsay and tasks to complete. We met virtually over MS Teams for the most part!

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

They gave us a website that put us ahead of others in the industry. They cared and spent the time getting to know our business. I am the only communications person here at WISE Trust so they helped with a lot of the heavy lifting! They also took the time to teach me a bit more about the power of Google Analytics because we only ever got page views as data!

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

No. They have worked with us within our needs and have always been available to help.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for CAPREIT (Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust), a property management company. We own and manage buildings across Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland. We have about 65,000 suites across Canada. We’re traded on the stock market, so we are a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot?

We reached out for My Left Foot because we needed to find a way to remove five buildings from our corporate website and create their site. Later, we figured out we had many projects that needed to be done.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My Left Foot guided us from the beginning. At first, we did not know what we wanted in terms of the look and feel, but they presented us with different branding elements, as in colors and fonts to choose from, which we were extremely happy with. They gave us three options, and we later moved forward with one of those options. 

They did the removal and creation of a brand new website for the five buildings, including the development of storyboards. They migrated the content over to the new WordPress website, where they did content integration too. They created an API that we’re still using. My Left Foot also did the embedding of Google Analytics to our site, which was key for us.

What is the team composition?

There were other individuals in the back end, but it was mainly David (President) and Lindsey (VP).

How did you come to work with My Left Foot?

David was working at another organization that we were involved with at CAPREIT. Moreover, a year ago, we did a refresher on our website that he was very instrumental on. His vision and dedication had been proved to us in the past, so when he branched off and created My Left Food, it was a no-brainer for us to hire them to help us with the Real Property Management (RPM) website.

How much have you invested with them?

I’d estimate it was in the $40,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in September 2020, and we completed it in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When they provided me with the staging site, I presented it to my EVP as well as the operations group. They showed a vested interest in it. I also presented them the mockup, and they were extremely pleased— they loved the colors and the simplicity of the website. 

Furthermore, when we went live as a company, we showcased our intranet page on our new website. We got lots of great feedback from employees, who said the website looked sharp. Our operation managers even joked about when it would be their turn to have that kind of update.

When it comes to metrics, it hasn’t even been a month since we went live. Still, I’m extremely pleased with the traffic the site is getting. Since this is a brand new website that can start creating a brand new company, they also assisted us in coming up with ideas and suggestions for maintaining traction, because we knew it was going to lose some over time. They gave us suggestions and helped us with SEO and Google Ads campaigns. I've been pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a 50% drop in traffic, but we are actually seeing just a 35% drop.

How did My Left Foot perform from a project management standpoint?

It went extremely well. I had weekly meetings with them. In those meetings, we’d showcase the project timeline and where we were at. If there were any concerns, we constantly communicated back and forth, explaining any risks. We’d always let each other know if there were issues that would extend the timeline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It might sound like a cliché, but for me, the most impressive thing about them was their customer service. They make their processes understandable for their clients. From my perspective as director of marketing, they really simplified things and helped me to better understand the concepts, actions, and process of the website development. They were there every step of the way. I never felt like I couldn’t reach out to them and waited for days to get a reply from their side. They were very quick responders and stood by my side all along. Moreover, they provided an amazing website for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could improve upon from an RPM perspective. In fact, I was nervous about the fact that it was a five-building project. CAPREIT has a strong SEO presence, so I was very concerned about these buildings flatlining, and that no one would find them. However, they did a great job.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be able to communicate back and forth consistently with them. Everyone’s busy but, from my perspective, I knew I had to set aside some time. I had to find time to set up weekly meetings with them and lay everything out the best possible; explain the concerns and goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of communications and marketing at Waddington's Auctioneers. We are a Canadian based auction house and we've been in business since 1850. And we deal in all forms of art as well as fine jewelry, decorative arts and fine wine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot?

We needed a completely revamped web site and approach to our digital footprint. We looked to My Left Foot to help us understand what we could be doing, should be doing, and how we could take advantage of technology to help us tell our story and increase our business.

This was also about revitalizing our brand, the look and feel, and our profile. We're proud of the fact that we've been in business for 107 years. But we don't want to be defined as being the dusty old auction house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We knew we needed a complete overhaul of our website. The complication is that we also have an online bidding platform that has to be integrated into our website and our client management database system.

My Left Foot helped us understand what we should do and how to take advantage of technology to help us tell our story. We work with them on digital marketing as well as some specific projects that are enhancements for the website.

What is the team composition?

There probably are about ten people in varying different aspects of the project. As our confidence in the principals grew, we then looked at additional aspects.

How did you come to work with My Left Foot?

I had known them because we'd worked together previously.

We did work with a consulting firm at first but they were not responsive. What we were looking for was a holistic solution, not just someone who could do a website for us. We wanted them to have not just expertise, not just capability, but the vision, too.

We had looked at a couple of other companies, but they were just going to address our need for a new website and not be able to bring the full picture.

How much have you invested with them?

It would be around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2017 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is more anecdotal, but we had a very positive response to our new website and the ease of use for our clients, which was important to us. In terms of statistics, we have really high rates of engagement and clickthroughs and so on. All the indicators have been very positive.

How did My Left Foot perform from a project management standpoint?

They've done very well; their approach for us has worked extremely well. David (Principal) shows us the impact and Lindsay (Principal) is really great at being able to empathize.

They have a very good understanding when they really had to lay down the law but also knowing our business and our company. They understand when things happening in our business impacts our ability to meet deadlines. 

As a former consultant and having project management experience, I think that they handle managing our projects extremely well and I appreciate their flexibility. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand what we're trying to accomplish and turn it into something visible. Since we first started working together, they've brought flexibility to the table.

They are innovative and the first of their kind working on an auction platform. The best element of working with them has been how they've learned about our business intimately, as well as our company, since we're small but colorful.

They have also kept pace with how we think we could do things differently and just run right alongside us, as we're trying to figure out how we continue to do our business, particularly in the last 8–9 months. 

I think the other element for us that has been so great is that they're very respectful of our budget and are forever helping us to make the right decisions about where we should invest, whether it's marketing or technology.

What's most outstanding and most critical is our relationship with each other. I couldn't imagine trying to build this relationship with another agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I quite honestly can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think being very honest with the principals has been a very strong success factor. Whether it's in terms of how much time we have available ourselves to participate in the roles that we can play or in terms of a budget. 

If we were experiencing any internal challenges that would impact the project, we let them know so they can understand us. They will be able to deliver better work that way.

They are extremely patient and we are certainly not as organized as we should have been. The advice would be to organize yourselves as much as you can. Just letting them get to know you will help them better understand your objectives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at a debt asset management firm that primarily works in the B2B space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot?

We engaged My Left Foot to help us build our brand. We needed to enhance our brand identity to reflect the evolution of the business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We introduced them to our company and what we do, who our audience is, and other important aspects of our business and clarified the requirements.  Based on that briefing, the team came back and shared their understanding of our company and industry to confirm that we were aligned on the ask. Our business has a level of complexity and it was important that time was spent upfront to create a shared understanding. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of three people: Dave (President), a designer, and a copywriter. 

How did you come to work with My Left Foot?

We have worked with Dave on prior occasions.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2020, and they completed their work in March.  We’re planning to roll out the new brand in the next couple of months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was delighted with their ability to deliver against what I thought was a complicated brief. They have simplified the brand and clearly articulated what we do. It’s far more concise than it was previously. 

How did My Left Foot perform from a project management standpoint?

We met at least once a week, but we were in contact back and forth asking questions for at least several days every week. They were great in regards to project management. They were flexible, yet clear throughout the process. They were committed to delivering, even when there were setbacks with the timeline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to deliver a really high-quality project very nimbly. The process was done more efficiently than what I’ve experienced working on similar projects. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything at the moment. They were very good. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In every engagement, make sure that the details of what you want are clearly stated upfront.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of ApartmentData.com. We're a subscription service for the data industry. We collect information about occupancy, rent, policies, and specials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot?

We wanted to consolidate our lead generation efforts and needed help in managing a drip marketing campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first month of it was understanding who they were and what they could do. They helped us to onboard onto the platform they're certified to sell and manage. Subsequently, they built linkages to all the other platforms and trained our staff on the new user form. For the drip campaign, they drew up all the steps that were needed and the collateral that would be developed to each of the clients in an automated fashion.

What is the team composition?

We work with two principals from their team.

How did you come to work with My Left Foot?

We were introduced by another firm that we had worked with.

How much have you invested with them?    

We've invested $25,000 – $30,000.      

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After one set of conversations, they're the most astute people I've ever met in terms of understanding our business. They had the ability to fundamentally grasp our business quickly. As a result, they've been able to use a lot of techniques over the years they've applied towards our business.

 For example, every month we send out 40,000 – 60,000 emails to leads every month. Out of that, a number of those end up converting and either purchasing subscriptions or buying some transactional products that we have. The salespeople are more excited about the emails with their names on it more than others in the past.

How did My Left Foot perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated daily during development. Now it's more like once a week. They're very efficient. They put a schedule together upfront, and execute against that schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to come up to speed very quickly, without any prior domain knowledge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, so far our relationship has been very positive. They've remained very upbeat and collaborative. They genuinely liked working with us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more organized you are, the more you understand what your objectives, the better your engagement will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of human resources for a real estate investment trust that owns and rents multi-residential properties across Canada and Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot Inc.?

We needed a partner to help us develop a five-year plan and internal strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My Left Foot Inc. took time to understand our objectives, business, and target audience. From there, they created an identity that was fun, exciting, and competitive in our market, making us more transparent with our clients. They not only created identity but also outlined a strategy to help it grow, including the use of video, which our CEO wanted.

Together, we developed three components of our company culture, with a variety of projects and goals under each one so that everyone in the business is aware of our priorities for the next five years. We recently launched our intranet, and My Left Foot Inc. is now helping us roll out the strategy to connect all of our disparate locations across Canada and Europe.

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact and have had up to three people on our team.

How did you come to work with My Left Foot Inc.?

We knew one of the team members.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$55,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in October 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The strategy and three components that My Left Foot Inc. developed have become ingrained in our company culture. We don’t have to proactively push it anymore—everyone just always seems to remember it.

How did My Left Foot Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate often and hit all of our deadlines. The team is responsive and collaborative, listening to our ideas and incorporating the good ones into our strategy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their execution is phenomenal, and their team is incredibly professional. They deliver what they promise on the date they promised, no matter what.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with their work. We look forward to our continued partnership and expanding into different campaigns.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They're strategic and creative, so get them as involved in your project as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of CAPREIT, a real estate investment trust organization. We have about 1,000 employees spread across Canada, and we also do business in Europe. We manage residential buildings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot Inc.?

As a growing organization, communication has always been a big challenge for us. We were spending a lot of time posting and creating ineffective content, both internally and externally. We wanted to identify internal best practices across different operations and to provide a channel for employees to interact with the head office department. This would hopefully give us a better understanding of what was working for the organization and what topics our employees wanted to hear about.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reached out to My Left Foot Inc. to help implement a communication platform based in SharePoint. The objective of this project wasn’t just to implement SharePoint but to deploy a solution that fits our culture and provides different channels for our employees to communicate amongst each other. It would also allow for corporate messaging and various department heads to promote initiatives, achievements, and best practices.

My Left Foot Inc. helped us define the requirements. They did very intensive interviews with different department heads to understand the type of information they need to manage their day-to-day, including what they want to share and what is essential for them. My Left Foot Inc. assessed our needs by department; following that, they were able to provide a solution for us. The team designed a layout for our intranet and organized this intuitively so that it showcases the culture of our organization and, most importantly, promotes our brand.

Currently, we have an external website. My Left Foot Inc. evaluated the site and mirrored the same look and feel internally, creating a very impressive and consistent flow of what we are posting externally as well as internally. From the beginning, they helped us with several things and were involved in a very hands-on way of training our employees and providing documentation on how to sustain the solution. They also made sure that we have internal promotional activities to ensure that adaption of the new intranet.

What is the team composition?

We were in direct contact with the director and the account manager. Behind the scenes, there was a larger team with a design and communication specialist as well as technical experts. As the business owner, I really didn’t have a lot of interaction, which made it very easy for me to deploy the solution in our organization.  

How did you come to work with My Left Foot Inc.?

We have worked with different organizations before, but My Left Foot Inc. provided a thorough business case that showed they have an understanding of our organization. Their vision for the solution matched what we wanted. It wasn’t just about the implementation and the technology, but also a solution that fits our brand, builds our culture, and provides something exciting for our employees. My Left Foot Inc. was able to grasp on that from the beginning, which is why we went with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on this project from January–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have currently been using the intranet solution for about four months, and it has been extremely successful. We’re pleased with the results and adoption so far. I oversee the internal communications team, and we are now able to have data and analytics when we launch a campaign or a survey. We can be much more strategic in how we communicate.

The new intranet has also had a good reaction internally. The design makes it easier to collaborate and create internal excitement about events happening in our organization. Using the platform, employees can learn, document events that they attend, and share with other employees organically. Recently, one of our senior executives was promoted; we were able to make a note of that, and a lot of employees left comments directly to this person. 

How did My Left Foot Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

My Left Foot Inc. was very effective. Due to organizational changes on our side, the project took longer than we anticipated. My Left Foot Inc. was understanding and able to adapt so that it didn’t impact the work they were doing much. They maintained the timelines and fulfilled our requirements. They pushed us to accomplish the project even when we had to slow down the project sometimes. 

I was delighted with the support My Left Foot Inc. provided. We had weekly meetings at the beginning, and as we were closer to going live, we had 3–4 follow-up meetings a week. However, they were available any time I had an issue or question—we didn’t need to wait for one of our meetings. The team listened to understand what we needed, which helped us incorporate ideas and suggestions into the final plan. The technical people working behind the scenes stayed on top of any bugs through a logging tool, which was a big help for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team demonstrated clear expertise and talent. They understood how to create the look and feel according to our culture, which helped the success of the project. When we were implementing a change, they helped us involve the right people. They attended meetings with our senior executives. They communicated in a language that we all understood regardless of our technical background. My Left Foot Inc. made the project fun and one that everyone wanted to work on. We got the buy-in from our employees even before launching. It was an effortless partnership. My Left Foot Inc. had their expertise, but they also wanted to transfer the knowledge. I currently have ownership of the solution, and I feel capable of maintaining it as well as managing it.

I enjoyed working with My Left Foot Inc. because of their ability to listen and provide their expertise. They listened to our ideas and gave us their suggestions and opinions on whether or not they agreed with our concepts. That gave us a very strong sense of comfort in working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, the relationship was fantastic. My Left Foot Inc. could have been spent more time creating training materials and documentation to help define the internal processes. I know they have the expertise, and we learned as well through discussing and documenting the best practices.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have those initial conversations. Look at My Left Foot Inc. as a practical and strategic business partner. Share any internal strategies and challenges that you’re experiencing so that they can filter, see, and provide value that can surprise you as a client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president and CEO of Corporate Caterers, a breakfast and lunch catering franchise focused on serving businesses. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with My Left Foot Inc.?

We wanted to grow our sales and franchise units in an increasingly competitive market, so we reached out to My Left Foot for branding and marketing services. It had been 20 years since the company updated its branding materials. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My Left Foot helped rebrand our marketing collateral, including a new logo and website redesign that incorporated SEO best practices. They conducted market research and analysis of both current customers and potential customers we wanted to target, creating solutions to more effectively appeal to the public. They continue to provide other marketing services and regular analytics reporting. 

What is the team composition? 

I have two main points of contact but have also worked with up to 10–15 people on their creative and development teams. 

How did you come to work with My Left Foot Inc.?

I had a good experience from a previous engagement with them at a different company. They also seemed like the best fit compared to others I found through extensive research. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our franchises across the country have embraced our new branding strategy, investing in updated their collateral based on My Left Foot's designs from their own marketing budgets. Their feedback has been great across the board. We're optimistic that the new designs are going to have a significant impact on business overall.

How did My Left Foot Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very proactive about communications, keeping us apprised on everything happening through phone, email, and in meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very knowledgeable in their field of work and up-to-speed on the latest marketing trends. In addition to their strong communication skills, they're also willing to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it takes to get things done right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't really think of anything. It'd always be nice to pay less, of course. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any vendor, it's important to conduct thorough research and ensure the relationship is a good fit. Keep in mind that a lower cost provider isn't always the best route; My Left Foot isn't the cheapest on the market, but they offer a great value in my opinion.