Pixel Army

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Flawless Anti-Aging & Laser Clinic

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A medical laser clinic specializing in laser, injectables and skin rejuvenation. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pixel Army to accomplish?

• To create a new website

SOLUTION

How did you find Pixel Army?

Online Search

Why did you select Pixel Army over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pixel Army were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Working with Deepak and his team on our new Flawless Anti-Aging & Laser Clinic website has been an excellent experience from start to finish. Compared to our previous website, the new site is significantly more modern, polished, and reflective of our brand. The overall design feels elevated, professional, and much more aligned with the premium experience we strive to provide our clients in the clinic. The layout is clean, easy to navigate, and the site performs well across devices. Clients are finding it much easier to navigate and find relevant treatment information without having to bounce around the site. I particularly love how the treatment pages are organized. The overall user experience is a significant improvement from our previous site. One of the things I appreciated most was the ability to create a website that truly reflects the Flawless brand. The design feels unique rather than templated, and the attention to detail throughout the site helped showcase our treatments, services, and clinic philosophy in a way that feels both professional and welcoming. Equally important was the support provided throughout the process. His commitment to supporting our business after the website launch has been greatly appreciated. I would highly recommend their services to any business looking for a high-quality, custom website. Sarah Forward Owner, Flawless Anti-Aging & Laser Clinic

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increase in online booking, online sales and traffic to our website. 

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

The team was able to finish the website in a reasonable timeframe. They also were able to quickly navigate through some issues that happened after the launch of the website. Overall delivering on all aspects. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pixel Army?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

One of the things I appreciated most was the ability to create a website that truly reflects the Flawless brand. The design feels unique rather than templated, and the attention to detail throughout the site helped showcase our treatments, services, and clinic philosophy in a way that feels both professional and welcoming. 

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

One area for improvement would be communication during busier periods. While support was always helpful and solutions were provided when needed, there were occasions when responses took longer than expected. Even a quick email acknowledging receipt of a request and providing an estimated timeline for follow-up would go a long way in enhancing the overall client experience. That said, the quality of the work and the ongoing support have been excellent, and we are very pleased with the final result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the assistant business manager at Kamwin Electric.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixel Army?

Kamwin Electric has been in business for over 35 years but had never had a website! Crazy, I know....We hired Pixel Army to help showcase our past projects and give us a home online.

SOLUTION

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

I had searched web designers on google after not moving forward with a couple of other options. What really drew me to Pixel Army was that they had an affordable package that gave us everything we needed and we would be able to update it on our own in future. 

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

The project first started with an initial zoom meeting to determine if we were a good fit and get the feel of our company. Once we determined that we were, we signed the contract and got the ball rolling. I was sent over sample information so I knew exactly how I needed to layout our material and exactly how much of it we needed to create. I had many calls/video meetings with Suzanna who helped guide me through this process. Once we had finalized content I was sent a spreadsheet to help communicate any changes/additions needed.

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

I worked with our account manager Savanna

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Savanna's approach was very thorough which was appreciated! She was easy to work with and communicated well. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective! The only thing ever holding us up was not having content created and that was on our end.

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

I was really blown away by Savanna's approach. She was thorough, encouraging, and communicated with me every step of the way. I love how easy the website starter package was. I also love how easy the CMS seems to follow. Knowing that I can update the website on my own made Pixel Army the perfect company to go with. 

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

None that I can think of! Incredibly happy with how things turned out. Our website is exactly what we needed. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm co-owner of Court Reporting Network. We are a court reporting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixel Army, and what were your goals?

We had created a new business idea and needed a website that would be viewed by the legal world. Although we had created a website before, we felt we needed a professional to do it this time. We required the use of forms completed by the user with the information being saved in a back office calendar; all of which was completed by Pixel Army.

SOLUTION

How did you select Pixel Army and what were the deciding factors?

We met with Pixel Army and had phone interviews with two other web design companies as well as looked at whether we could design what we were looking for ourselves. Pixel Army came highly recommended by people in the web design world. After meeting with Kaneesha and Kevin and discussing our needs, we knew hands-down they were the right fit for what we were looking for.

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

We had our kick-off meeting to hone exactly what we were looking for, which had more to do with needing a booking system. The booking system and forms was the biggest item we needed. We looked at the different layouts of the in-house web designs they use and were able to find one that would meet our needs. We discussed the other features that would be needed on the site and what we would need to do to on our end to assist with the web design (wording, photos, etc)

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

We worked very closely with Kanessha, the account manager. She was a wealth of information and she was able to assist us with whatever we needed every step of the way. Kevin,the owner of Pixel Army, was involved in the beginning to get everything set up and to answer any questions we had. We never met the designer but they did an outstanding job on our site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As promised, our site comes up on Google searches.

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

We used email with the odd in-person meeting, if necessary. The timelines they set out in our very meeting were met, and if there were any delays, they were on our end getting our wording and photos/videos to them. After the site was complete and being used, we felt some changes needed to be made. Any changes we needed done were done in a quick manner.

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

We chose one of the themed websites that Pixel Army has to keep our costs lower. One of the amazing things they have built it is the user-friendly manner in which their content management system is built it. We are able to change content and photos as needed on our end.

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

We had some miscommunication at times, but it was likely due to our lack of expertise in web design or their lack of expert knowledge on our business. That being said, we would always figure it out and everything exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive associate of human resources and corporate marketing at Maclab Development Group. We’re a land development company that has commercial, residential, high-rise, and rental development projects. There are multiple silos in our business. We’re unique because we don’t sell any products; we purchase land and develop it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Army?

We were formerly Maclab Enterprise but branched off in 2016 and became Maclab Development Group. At this point, we had an entry-level, basic website that was built so people could find, connect, and contact us.

The website didn’t speak to what we did as a business, who we were, or any of our projects. There was a huge need for us to update it and have something that was visually interesting to look at but also provided people with the necessary information.

We gave Pixel Army our timeframe; we were looking for a 3–4-month turnaround time and wanted a website that had DNS capacity. Essentially, we needed a clean slate and departure from our previous website. It was on WordPress, and we found there wasn’t a lot of flexibility built into it. We had to contact our vendor for every minor change or update, and they’d charge us for each. Our team wanted to minimize costs as well as gain more control and flexibility of our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel Army developed our website on CMS, and we really started from the ground up. Our team gave Pixel Army specifications of what we wanted, for example, we knew we wanted a monochromatic color scheme. We also wanted clean, beautiful photography that’d showcase our projects.

Because we have so many, I had to engage with a photographer to get professional photos that highlighted the different business units within our organization. This included our vertical, residential, commercial, and rental portfolios.

We wanted to make sure we spoke to each of those differently. Although they’re under one umbrella, they’re different types of projects, and we don’t run them all the same. There are different deliverables within each of those projects.

With the website, we wanted to have something user-friendly and engaging. We also wanted to become more prevalent in search results. One of our key objectives was to increase our SEO and rank within the top three results for certain keyword searches.

After the website was built, Pixel Army started working with us on identifying keywords we could use. Their team helps us with ongoing SEO strategy efforts. I develop the content, and they make some suggestions before it goes live.

What is the team composition?

We correspond with Kevin (Owner) and predominantly work with Kaneesha (Account Manager). Kaneesha handles any changes or general updates we require. There’s also one dedicated developer, but we’ve never directly communicated with them.

How did you come to work with Pixel Army?

We found Pixel Army through a Google search. Our team interviewed and met with 3–4 vendors. Ultimately, we chose Pixel Army because they ticked all of the boxes for us. They had everything we were looking for and were super friendly. We found that it was really easy to explain our vision to them. When we visited them in-person we were impressed with their welcoming space and they gave us a presentation of their previous work.

Kevin and Kaneesha were excited about our project because it was different than what they usually do. Our platform is information-based, and they mostly do commerce-based websites. They were excited about the possibility, and I shared that excitement with them. Overall, I got a really good vibe from them. On top of that, they were very competitively priced in comparison to the other vendors. Their prices were both competitive and fair.

How much have you invested with them?

The project quote was around $12,500 CAD (approximately $9,000 USD) to complete the website. The ongoing SEO and other work is $500 CAD (approximately $400 USD) a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in July 2019 and is ongoing. The site was launched in October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The general feedback we’ve received has been positive. Everyone loves our team page. Pixel Army did a great job of executing my idea and vision of featuring professional photos that then turn into funny ones once hovered over. They made it happen and were really good at delivering my vision.

Overall, we’ve had very positive results. There are a couple of content things that have changed and evolved over the last few years but that’s totally normal. The more we marinate on the site, the more we think of things to change.

It’s been nice to have the flexibility and option to change the content and photos as we see fit. This has been a huge benefit to us because we have someone in our organization who’s trained in website SEO. It’s been great from that perspective.

How did Pixel Army perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate through email. During the initial rollout of the first draft, they sent us a link to a preview of the website. We could directly make comments and give feedback right there on the tool.

Their team met all the deadlines during the project timeline. A lot of the timeline involved our team having the content and information prepared in advance and not sitting on it. They can’t complete the work unless we give them the information they need. We were fairly diligent at making sure we had whatever they needed in advance, or within a reasonable timeframe.

Kaneesha was very good at providing progress updates. She gave us details about the project status and when they’d have things done. Once our team signed off on a certain style, that was the final decision. They were very clear about their parameters and deliverables. If they didn’t meet a deadline, it was due to a lack of us not getting the information to them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been most impressed with their transparency and honesty throughout the entire process. There have been no surprises. We were given a quote and that’s what we paid. There were no hidden costs or charges. This shows that they have integrity and transparency in communication with clients. I, along with our executives, really appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a little bit of miscommunication or unclear understanding of what the SEO support entailed.; if I were to critique them, it’d be for that. It’d help if they explained what their ongoing support is, what it means, and what it looks like for each individual client.

After the website went live, they worked on the ongoing SEO support. They went in and changed some of the content on the website without talking to us about it. When we saw this, we were surprised why the site looked the way it did. Our team called them and we talked with Kevin. We explained that we want the content to stay the same, and want their team to handle the behind-the-scenes work. If they want to make a change, then connect with us and let us know.

In all fairness, we were naïve in what the ongoing SEO support meant. We didn’t clearly understand what it’d look like so it wasn’t their fault necessarily. It was equally our fault as well. My suggestion to them is to dig deeper into exactly what the client is looking for from the ongoing support perspective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a premier metal fabrication shop in Edmonton, Alberta that provides custom steel fabrication to each customers individual needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixel Army?

Our website was hacked and corrupted. Pixel Army got it up and running with the little bits and pieces of information I gave them. We also hired them to to our SEO words. We have gotten leads and customers from the website. the list of new customers keeps growing!

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a website that was keeping up and surpassing our competition. Pixel Army has done a good job at raising our Google rating with out having to go through the expense of Google Ads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I saw their logo on a sponsorship banner at a local arena. I liked the fact that were local and supported female sports.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our website was hacked and corrupted. Pixel Army got it up and running with the little bits and pieces of information I gave them. We also hired them to to our SEO words. We have gotten leads and customers from the website. the list of new customers keeps growing!

What was the team composition?

I originally worked with Kevin to get the hacked website up and running. I was really impressed with what little information I had he was able to find it. Kevin then next sat with me and explained how to access the backside of my website, change content, update pictures, ect. He encouraged me to try doing SEO words which hmmm let's say epic fail. Insert Sarra and Kaneesha, those two are website wizards! Sarra on SEO words and Kaneesha on website support. Such a great team to work with!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received numerous inquiries and customers that phone and say " oh, we forgot about you" . We have been around since 1992 and as that generation of workers starts to retire and the new generation wants to make a mark. Our business, which was mainly word of mouth, needs a refreshed way of earning business. Insert a rockstar website. The "new" way to do business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Have no complaints.. always great service.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their excitement to want to learn everything about our business was impressive. Their success is our success. Not to mention their lego table is pretty cool.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I know nothing about this type of business. From my perspective no.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Infrared Home & Building Solutions. We’re a general contractor based in Edmonton.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Army?

While we’re a desirable home building company in the region, we were a little behind with our marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we decided to go with Pixel Army, we met with their design team and manager. We went through our wishlist to see if they could make it a reality. They put together a package of what they could offer us.

The team at Pixel Army designed a website for us with a CMS backend. After they created their package, they listened to my ideas and showed us their previous web designs.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three or four people from their team.

How did you come to work with Pixel Army?

We came across Pixel Army through local research. After reviewing and reading info online, we went and sat down with three companies. While discussing our vision, Kevin (Owner) and Kaneesha (Account Manager) made us feel comfortable. They also seemed to understand what we were looking for compared to the other two companies. They had fresh ideas, and our teams meshed very well.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent upwards to $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After everything was said and done, Pixel Army was well within their budget. They also delivered everything efficiently and on time. We’ve seen a lot of success from Google. People call us and say how much they love the website.

While I’m not directly tracking metrics, the time between 2018–2019 was the best our company has seen in 12 years. We’ve outdone our sales numbers from the past four years.

We’re still making changes to the website and the CMS backend. We do a lot of QR code readings, and they put those into our system.

The website is not only good for people to view and look at but the whole backend where I process all of my imaging and scheduling is great.

They’re creative people. Throughout the engagement, they’ve been nothing but understanding. If I say something, I know that they’ll get me. They’re easy to talk to.

How did Pixel Army perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. Kaneesha sends me nonstop emails that let me know the status of everything that’s going on. There’s constant communication. She’s always on the ball. I’ve never had to wait for anything with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way that they can communicate and turn ideas into reality is unbelievable. Pixel Army nails it. They not only executed my vision but were able to exceed my expectations for what I was looking for.

Their team educated me on things I didn’t even know I was looking for. Kevin dialed in on grasping everything that we do and making it fit in the digital world. With their fresh ideas and cool concepts, anyone can see that their heart and soul is in their attention to detail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would not suggest any changes. They should continue what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a vision going into it. Let them have a clear understanding of what you want because they can easily turn it into reality. Be confident in what you want to achieve. If you communicate that to them, they’ll design that and build your dream.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Nevian Bilingual is an Toronto based industry leading bilingual Recruitment Firm (French/ English) connecting qualified individuals to organizations across Canada.

Founded in 2001 Nevian has built a reputation of quality and dedication with the more than 500 companies that have allowed us to represent them in their search for bilingual top talent. I am the Managing Director and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixel Army?

Nevian is a well established business but had an outdated website which was not mobile friendly. We had a strong organic SEO and a customized job board & Applicant Tracking System that was working well. The challenges were as follows:

• Provide a seamless transition from old to new website with as little customer interruption as possible
• Try to retain the layout and functionality of our old job board which was working well
• Try to develop a new Applicant Tracking System and mimic usability of the old ATS as this was a customized system working well
• Develop a site that was mobile friendly and allowed us to gain control over managing our content (vs needing help from web developer on continuous basis)
• Develop a modern, clean, professional look & feel design

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to bring our dated website back to life with a fresh, new and professional design and also ensure it was mobile friendly in a cost effective manner. At the same time we wanted to keep our ATS system and Job board which was functioning well.

We also wanted more control (as business owners) to be able to make updates and changes to our website without needing help from our web developer. Also, we wanted to preserve our strong organic SEO as much as possible. We also needed this done within our budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was referred to us through another organization that had worked with them. We did look and evaluate other possible vendors (4 in total), but were impressed with Pixel Army's process, professionalism, pricing and service and responsiveness. Both partners in our firm were involved in the selection process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Pixel Army listened to our needs and provided us with a preliminary overview of options and pricing. They had an intake meeting with us including the PM and developer and gained an understanding of our challenges and wishes. They helped us with a new design and helped us through selection process of the design and made any and all changes we requested in order to get to the right design for us.

They recreated our ATS (needed to modify it a bit) and recreated our Job Board to fit in new system and design. This was the biggest challenge. Throughout the process they have been responsive, efficient and professional and did not charge us additionally for any change requests we had. They also trained us on our new CMS system and guided us long after the launch.

The launch was seamless and our site was only down a few hours at the most. However, they put in place holders to let customers know that our site would be up shortly. They have provided us with some SEO consulting and are able to provide us with further advice should we ask.

What was the team composition?

The team who helped us was the Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and developer (s). Our main contact person was the Assistant Project Manager who did an amazing job guiding us through the process and helping us out. The whole team provided us with excellent service and I would highly recommend them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have had very positive feedback from our customers who like the look and functionality. Our ATS System has retained is user friendliness. Our website shows well on all platforms (mobile, desktop, ipads) and has also become more "google friendly" as evidenced in our Google Analytics. We are now able to much quicker change the website content ourselves which allows us to make changes in a timely manner.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was well done. It was done remotely through conference calls (as our business is located in Toronto) and we had a dedicated contact who helped us through all our questions and change requests and also helped train us on the new CMS system. They communicated very well with us throughout the process and met the deadlines. Very responsive which was really appreciated. No issues at all when it came to our change requests which really impressed us. We are very happy with the result (new website) and the provide service along the way.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their level of service. They truly understand customer service and it was a pleasurable and stress free experience working with them as we knew we were in good hands. They also delivered according to our expectations (and beyond) in a cost effective manner. Again, would highly recommend them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of communications at the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Army?

We needed to replace our previous website in order to make it more user-friendly. We also needed it to be more easily accessible for the purpose of updating and posting new information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel Army built a custom-made website for us based on our specifications, and it went live in January 2016. The entire development was broken up into three parts.

They initially built the public-facing website, and then started creating an integrated portal that is only accessible by password access. Our member associations, club teams, and volunteers can access this secure, private portion of our website for communication, exchange of documents, and also to acquire permits and sanctions.

Two-hundred associations needed to be able to access this portal, and they all needed to be divided into the nine recognizable zones used to administer amateur hockey in Alberta. Each of these zone groups needed to be connected to a zone volunteer coordinator responsible for approving or rejecting the permit requests. Pixel Army created the request forms that could be sent directly to the appropriate zone volunteer. We needed the volunteer to be able to go into the backend, review the request, and then either approve, edit, or deny it. All of this needed to have appropriate, generated emails that went along with the process.

Pixel Army also developed an events registration and payment platform. They created the ability for us to set up registration for each calendar event, then receive payment via the Moneris payment platform. The platform also generates full, financial, and profile reports in the backend that we’re able to export and send to event organizers.

All of our email generation is done through SendGrid, and everything else is done through either custom-created elements or from packages they’ve built to work within their platform. I’m not aware of any other out-of-the-box software being used.

We’re currently trying to develop a form builder so we can convert all of our fillable PDFs to our website. We’re also in the process of doing additional work on the portal to transform the main database for our minor hockey association contacts.

We’re currently linking teams that have been given approved requests to an e-game sheet platform where they will be able to fill in the goals and penalties from a game. This data will be automatically sent to the same minor discipline coordinator in case there are supplemental disciplines due to penalties.

We’ve subsequently created a separate provincial championships platform, a website for our new female hockey league, and two other websites for the Alberta Cup and the Alberta Challenge events. These projects are a little different because they aren’t public facing websites. Pixel Army suggested multiple features we could use to improve our game sheet reporting platform, including live or strolling tickers that connect the provincial championship website to the homepage of our main website.

What is the team dynamic?

We've worked directly with one developer since the beginning who has been responsible for building the shells. We’ve also worked directly with their president, Kevin, on the overall design and layout. We have an account manager, Amber, who is our main point of contact for day-to-day business and also coordinates with their office. She determines if there is an issue for Kevin to solve, and also communicates with their designer and developer, Christina.

There were at least a dozen other people working on everything when we were getting ready to go live.

How did you come to work with Pixel Army?

We undertook an RFP [request for proposal] process, for which we received about 15 responses. We narrowed it down to three, then went through an interview process with each of our shortlisted candidates. We were looking for an Alberta-based partner, and Pixel Army fit well because they are located in Edmonton. We found both their approach and RFP quite attractive, and they were also a smaller shop, so we felt confident knowing we’d be in direct contact with their team.

We had some specific challenges, but they assured us they would be able to address them head-on and were willing to alter things to fit our needs. So far, there hasn’t been a single thing they couldn’t handle, and they’ve never told us they couldn’t implement a change. They’ve been very willing to help us achieve our goals and to deliver a custom-made solution.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $70,000-$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been live since the end of January 2016, and the original phases have been completed. We have a collaborative, ongoing relationship as we tweak, make additions to, and improve the platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our previous website wasn’t user-friendly. Now, we have an usable website that is easier to update in the backend. Volunteers, staff, and minor associations alike have all provided positive feedback regarding the overall look-and-feel. Actually, all of the feedback we’ve received in the past year-and-a-half has been overwhelmingly positive.

How did Pixel Army perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t use a project management tool, but we did sit down in the beginning to create a timeline that coincided with our fiscal year, and we also decided what date we wanted to go live. We agreed on shared commitments, then set an original deadline for April 2016 because this time is less busy in the hockey world.

It turned out that the previous engagement with our original website vendor was going to end in January 2016, so I sat down with Pixel Army to see if they could help us make the transition more quickly. They were ready, able, and more than willing to adjust themselves, and we were able to go live three months sooner than originally planned.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never had an issue contacting Kevin or Amber when I have an issue or concern. We’ve ended up requesting a lot of changes during the relationship, and they’ve always remained adaptable. They often provide multiple options so I can make a choice based on the best interest of my business. They’re not afraid to make suggestions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve quickly resolved all issues throughout the entire process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're an international union organization. Our members operate cranes and heavy duty machines, with a majority working in the oil and gas industry. My role during this project was senior project coordinator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Army?

Since our members aren’t especially tech-savvy, we wanted to redesign our website to be more efficient and easy to use. It needed to be mobile-friendly since most of our members work in camps outside of major cities and access our site with cellphones and tablets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel Army created a custom CMS to give our website different sections for each of our three divisions. The website needed to present these sections in a concise way that would be easy for our users to navigate. If they needed help with their pension, for instance, or with training, we wanted them to be able to find that information easily.

We also needed to include interactive tools. The website has a secure, members-only area, as well as a public space for non-members and general public employers, and Pixel Army designed a job board to work in both of these spaces. While members can see all job listings and bid on contracts, the general public only sees listings available to non-members.

They also built an e-commerce aspect that allows members to pay their monthly dues online, and a tool that lets members register for training sessions.

What is the team dynamic?

They primarily used one developer. I coordinated with Kevin [Labbe, owner], who served as project manager.

How did you come to work with Pixel Army?

We found them through a web search. We shortlisted a number of web development companies and asked them to come in and deliver presentations to our committee. We appreciated Pixel Army's straightforward approach. A number of companies tried to push search engine optimization and other aspects we didn’t need, since we’re primarily providing a service for members. Pixel Army listened to our needs and offered cost-effective, efficient solutions.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost us around $60,000. Other companies gave estimates of nearly $200,000 for initial development it, with an additional $60,000 per year for licensing fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Pixel Army in June 2015 and they completed the project in October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have statistics yet, but the feedback has been very positive. Users like the website’s visuals and find it easy to use on their phones, which was our biggest concern.

How did Pixel Army perform from a project management standpoint?

They have an excellent system wherein the project manager is the only point of contact, and then passes our requests on to the developer. I found this method to be an effective way of communicating and very organized. They were quick to deal with any issues that arose and readily provided solutions to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive aspect was the custom CMS they offered. One of our divisions previously used three separate programs, but Pixel Army was able to tailor a CMS that used only one. This flexible system allows us to easily track training, registration, and scheduling. Other companies suggested coupling together existing products, but the licensing fees would have cost us over $60,000 annually.

We also appreciated that Pixel Army never tried to overcharge us for an overly-complicated system. They took a simplified approach that accomplished everything we asked for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have preferred more communication during the planning phase. A lack of back-and-forth interaction during the early stage meant we had to rework certain aspects after they had been developed.