Phalanx Digital Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a digital producer at an international marketing and branding agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phalanx Digital, Inc.?

Before I started my role here, my company had just won a joint pitch for a large website account. At the time, we lacked those capabilities in-house and needed a development partner. We experienced many problems with the company we'd initially hired.

Having known Phalanx Digital from previous partnerships, we brought them on to stabilize the website and support a few other smaller projects. They worked as our cleanup team and partnered seamlessly with our client. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Phalanx Digital was both our consultant and full development team. Our agency didn't have a producer on the account or any frontend or backend resources at the time. Their team managed all of the technical work, took on a planning role, and offered suggestions. We led the creative direction for most components of the website. If our team ever experienced issues as they learned how to design for the digital space, Phalanx Digital had a good eye for recommendations to help. 

The first step was getting the site to a stable place so we could make enhancements. We collaborated on brainstorming and prioritizing options for development. They participated in most client communication including some in-person meetings. Phalanx Digital is based in Pennsylvania, we’re in Atlanta, and our client is in Athens, Georgia. We leaned on their developmental expertise to consult our client on the scope and details of multiple integrations. 

Our first vendor had planned to move the completely hard-coded site to a CMS. They recommended Umbraco and Phalanx Digital took over the site transfer. They built a few micro pages and had interesting ideas on how to maximize the platform. We were excited about the flexibility it provided and have used it for multiple other websites since. 

What is the team composition?     

I worked most closely with two people from Phalanx Digital, but up to four were included on our e-mail chains. I met all of them in person and always knew who to contact based on the type of ask. 

How did you come to work with Phalanx Digital, Inc.?

I wasn't part of that process, but I know that one of our designers who works on this account used to live in Pennsylvania where Phalanx Digital is located. They were competitors, but he admired their work and contacted them when we needed support. They're well-respected in the industry. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our partnership was retainer-based and cost between $80,000–$90,000 per quarter for the main project. The smaller engagement costs about $10,000 per quarter. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Phalanx Digital started working with my company in 2015. After building internal capabilities, we moved this project in-house in August 2017. We still have a smaller ongoing engagement together. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Phalanx Digital was an extremely reliable partner. They always came through during crunch time. If a problem happened on a Friday afternoon, they would start fixing it right away and even work through the weekend if needed. They're trustworthy people we could always count on to complete their work the right way. 

Their dependability was especially important when our team took over. The effort and thought they'd invested in the development was clearly apparent in the code. Phalanx Digital collaborated very closely and effectively, even though working remotely can be a challenge. 

How did Phalanx Digital, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Phalanx Digital had already been running the project smoothly before I started. It was nice to know they were they were working hard and accomplishing their responsibilities independently. I didn't need to be heavy-handed when I came onboard.

We communicated via phone and e-mail. Paul (Founder, Phalanx Digital) and I have a close working relationship. It was easy to text or call him if needed. I always knew he would pick up his phone. We used Basecamp for project management purposes, per their recommendation. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Phalanx Digital provides excellent service, and their products are top notch. One of their unique strengths is maintaining competitive costs without using offshore resources. That's a hard combination to find. As a tight-knit team, they rapidly produce a large volume of work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Having a more robust path of communication might be beneficial. Basecamp is great, but it's not my favorite tool since it's hard to keep up with what everyone is doing. Making requests could be easier, especially if I'm out of office and the account team needs to know the correct point of contact. Phalanx Digital is flexible to begin with, so it's hard to instate several processes while maintaining agility.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and owner of Vigor, a marketing agency serving clients in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phalanx Digital?

We don't have an internal development team, so we were looking for a local vendor to help us with various client projects as needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Phalanx assists us with web development projects, using PHP, ASP, and other technologies, as well as with developing wireframes, UX, QA, and thinking through systems integrations as needed. They've worked on both frontend and backend development, from coding simple WordPress websites to creating completely new e-commerce systems on Umbraco for other clients. Our team mostly designs the UI/UX and information architecture, while their team acts as a consultant to make sure we're creating high-quality platforms in the process.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of four people and are directly in contact with the developers on our projects.

How did you come to work with Phalanx Digital?

I had been looking for a local vendor and heard of Phalanx through friends and clients, so I reached out to them based on their reviews. After trying them out on some smaller projects, I decided to keep working with them based on their stellar performance.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably invested around $500,000 over the last few years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since around September 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We often don't receive any feedback, which is a good sign that the platforms Phalanx builds are working smoothly. Most of our clients have been very happy with their work overall.

How did Phalanx Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very communicative and good about working through the nuances of agency relationships; they've been very discreet and professional when working on new accounts. We can always reach them through Slack and we manage projects through both Asana and Basecamp, which they've adapted to quite well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They bring a wealth of knowledge to the table and are great partners all around. They're not only incredibly intelligent, but also easy to work with and thoughtful in their approach to coding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, but, as a small shop, I imagine they'll need to find good project management talent as they continue to grow.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of global marketing for a robotics and AI indexing financial research firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phalanx Digital Inc.?

We needed a partner to rebuild our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Phalanx Digital redesigned and developed our website from the ground up. We didn’t provide wireframes or any other type of documentation. Our budget was small, but they created a WordPress site that allows us to do the administrative support to be more cost-effective. Phalanx Digital works on anything that requires HTML coding. They built our email, support our Salesforce, and update our website.

What is the team composition?

They have a team of four people.

How did you come to work with Phalanx Digital Inc.?

I worked with them at a previous job; a co-worker knew their founder.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$100,000. We pay them hourly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in October 2017 for this project, and the website launched in January 2018. However, the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website performed four times better than the previous site within the first few months.

How did Phalanx Digital Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re highly responsive, even on Saturdays. We use Basecamp to track our project and also communicate via text, phone, or whatever else I use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never worked with a more responsive and proactive dev team. They’re intelligent and have great customer service, which doesn’t always go together. Our work is pretty mundane, but that doesn’t seem to bother them; they still put a lot of effort and energy into our projects. I refer them to everyone I meet because they’re the best.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be clear on your budget, timeline, and goals. They’ll do great work, even if they’re not sure what you want, but it’ll be better if you provide clear instructions.