Swoo Agence Numérique

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a producer at a music production firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bureau Billy?

I had done a session with a musician and the recording had a very complicated and specific sound that I couldn’t process with my internal capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bureau Billy helped me produce an audio unit plugin to process this recording and help me overcome similar problems in the future.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one main representative and an additional team member that worked on the plugins visual elements.

How did you come to work with Bureau Billy?

I asked some audio engineers for recommendations for this project and one introduced me to Bureau Billy. I met with them and explained my situation, then they did the appropriate research and provided possible solutions.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2017–December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bureau Billy’s plugin saved me from having to ask the artist back to redo the recording. Moving forward, I am confident that I can internally handle this type of situation. They improved my efficiency and productivity.

How did Bureau Billy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and timely in their work ethic. Based on my preference, we mainly communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by how seamless the engagement progressed. I was never stressed.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should have a good idea of the product they want to be built.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the digital media specialist for a production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bureau Billy?

We had to redesign our service proposal software as the UX and UI design needed some work.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a revamped, mobile-friendly UX/UI with more branding.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A few friends from Montreal recommended them. Because the project focused on design, we chose the applicant with the best portfolio.

Describe the project in detail.

Our software creates a quote based on our sales representative’s input. It then assigns a permalink to the proposal so we can send it to a potential client. Bureau Billy made an assessment of our current platform followed by a UX redesign of the entire thing. Mostly, they fixed flow issues on the representative and client side. They also made the dashboard and proposal UI easier to use and incorporated our new branding. Plus, they created a component library for our developer.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one project manager and three designers. Their CTO also did some consulting for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has a fresher look and feel. The conversion rate also increased, as it became easier for clients to understand our services and how to contact us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated via Slack. It was more of a collaborative process, with both sides doing a lot of work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team had no problem being honest with us and defended their ideas. As a result, they brought the product further than what we anticipated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Our team mostly uses InVision, so it was difficult to switch to Zeplin. Fortunately, we made it work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CT & Cie Inc. is a product design and general trade company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bureau Billy?

Bureau Billy takes care of all our e-commerce development needs in addition to consulting for our online business activities.

What were your goals for this project?

We tasked their team with building a reliable, efficient and appealing e-commerce platform. We want a website that represents our brand and can sell our products confidently.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We heard excellent reviews of the company and decided to try them out.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Bureau Billy helped us assess what we needed in terms of e-commerce and development. The team at Bureau Billy took over the development and maintenance and created a website where we can sell our products confidently. They are also assisting with whatever issues we might have with the platform and make sure everything keeps running smoothly.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a few of the team members, including Maxime, Simon, and Harris. The team was very skillful and motivated to provide us with all the help we needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The e-commerce platform has not been released publicly, but we are confident that it will have a positive impact on sales and brand awareness.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Bureau Billy took care of the project management from beginning to end and always respected the deadlines that we set. The deliveries are always on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are more skilled than they like to admit it. They are a humble and respectful company.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Bureau Billy needs to raise more awareness around their brand. They are an excellent resource and more people should know about them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a co-founder of A1 Marketing. We help clients increase their brand awareness and popularity through social network channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bureau Billy?

We needed resources to develop an internal CRM.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a platform that allowed us to manage our Google Calendar and Drive to track client progress. It would support our customer success team, from inbound lead to project delivery.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’d worked with Bureau Billy in the past for consulting services and loved their attention to detail. Their fair pricing was also a consideration.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They integrated Google Calendar and Drive into a single CRM. The platform featured task management, client management, and email tracking.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager, a design team, and an engineering team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With our new system, we’re able to provide real-time updates to our clients about their project status.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Like us, the team used an agile methodology. Their project manager was always available when needed and answered our technical questions in an accessible way. Every week, they would provide a status report on the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated their attention to detail and passion for creating quality products. At times, this would result in debates. However, we ended up with a better product than we originally envisioned, so we’re satisfied.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

The services are a bit on the pricier side, but, ultimately we were happy with the value for such a high-quality product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the e-commerce director of Poches et Fils, a fashion brand. Customers can custom create shirts and order pocket designs on our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bureau Billy?

An agency built our website with a lot of bugs. They also left the engagement before its completion. We needed another provider to recode the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The site operates similar to an app on Shopify, but has a custom frontend. Bureau Billy used UX mock ups to recode the website on the ReactJS platform. The project finished last month, but we’re still working on last-minute improvements.

What is the team composition?

The team included one senior developer, one junior developer, one UX/UI designer, and the project manager. They added a frontend senior developer later on in the project.

How did you come to work with Bureau Billy?

One of our contacts introduced me to their project manager. We met him at the Billy Bureau office and started work after that.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in May 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were more professional and transparent than the previous agency. The team had great availability and produced quality results. They increased the website’s availability performance from 95% to 99.5%; the rate isn’t 100% because some browsers don’t support ReactJS. Conversion rates also went up 0.5%, or about $10 per order. Stabilizing the code was an important accomplishment because we process over 100 orders per day; we lose too much revenue when bugs occur. I have nothing negative to say about them.

How did Bureau Billy perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was very strong, particularly on Slack. We also interacted via phone and bi-monthly in-person meetings. We also used ZenHub to assign tasks and lay out project requirements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive on Slack. Even in the middle of the night, I can expect a response within a few hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I could tell the project manager was slightly overextended last month. They should have multiple project managers to prevent the team from getting overwhelmed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide documentation with detailed product requirements, but also allow them to make suggestions. Trust their instincts; they’re knowledgeable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I started my own company based on a web app for video gamers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bureau Billy?

I hired Bureau Billy to create a matchmaking platform for video gamers. It features skill-based online competitions between two players that offer users the potential to win money.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bureau Billy designed and developed the entire website and web app for me. I provided them with as much detail as possible about the features I wanted. They formulated a design specifically tailored to this type of platform. The developers coded the web app using Node and JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

Roughly 4-5 developers worked on my project. I was in direct communication with Max [Lead Information Technology Project Manager, Bureau Billy]. He acted as the middleman and relayed all the information between myself and the development team.

How did you come to work with Bureau Billy?

I posted a pitch for my project on Upwork. After receiving several replies, I narrowed down my list of potential candidates to a select few options. Bureau Billy seemed like the most suitable development team for the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $38,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first got in touch with Bureau Billy in May 2017. The actual design and development work began in July was completed in early January.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The individuals I've spoken with think the idea and design are great. All the feedback we’ve received about the overall physical appearance and functionality has been positive. We're currently focused on driving users and traffic to the website. Based on the quality of their work, I’m certain those results will come with time.

After Bureau Billy completed the beta version, I publicly launched the app. As a young entrepreneur, I was unaware that this type of platform needed to be mobile responsive in order to survive. In light of this oversight, I put things on pause and started working on a mobile app. We’ll have a more official rollout in about two weeks when that’s complete.

How did Bureau Billy perform from a project management standpoint?

Bureau Billy performed very well. I felt fortunate to work with them. Max is very responsive. He was always helpful when minor issues arose. I never had to wait days upon end to hear back from him. The team attended to all my requests and was understanding throughout the duration of the development. We used Slack to communicate with the programmers along with occasional phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was responsive, responsible, and understanding. I took comfort in knowing my work was in good hands. They always promptly gave appropriate responses to my questions. I’ve heard horror stories from advisors about working in the tech industry. Nothing problematic occurred during this project, however. They made life easier for me. I felt fortunate to have this team in my corner. Everything went smoothly and they successfully met all my demands.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be straightforward with the team about exactly what you're looking for. They'll give you their honest opinions, so don't sugarcoat anything. An open dialogue will help you accurately assess if they’re a good fit for your project. Regardless of your hiring decision, they won't put you in an uncomfortable position.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Medical Parachute. We're a small tech company that helps medical researchers complete their work. Our services include analysis, storage, and sharing of data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bureau Billy?

One of our clients needed an iPad app that could help explain a medical procedure to patients at his clinic. Our team's expertise is web-oriented, and while we did 80 percent of the work, we needed someone with app development expertise to finish off the project and make it perfect, so we hired Bureau Billy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our client wanted an interactive app for patients that would illustrate the risks associated with a specific type of surgery and allow them to consent. We provided the UI design plans; Bureau Billy built out the app. We also consulted them about whether or not to create a native iOS app, and ultimately took their recommendation to use React Native instead.

The app had several components, one of which involved presenting an image that patients can alter with sliders to demonstrate the best versus worst outcomes if a side effect occurs. Our team provided the algorithms for that, and then Bureau Billy assembled the UI for navigating between pages and landing on those adjustable images. They also handled the backend servers and the API to get the databases up and running. This was critical because we needed to ensure that a patient's acknowledgment regarding the surgical risks was recorded.

What is the team composition?

I had one primary point of contact and discussed most of my decision-making with him, although more members of their staff were probably involved in the development.

How did you come to work with Bureau Billy?

I was referred by mutual friends who'd worked with them before. I was already familiar with one member of their team who's a very good professional resource. He stays up to date on technology and I love hearing his insights regarding software tools and upcoming tech. I've collaborated with him on small projects before, but this time I contracted the entire Bureau.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from April–September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we created this app for another client, our main concern was how well the app was built. The Bureau team was spot-on in their implementation of our UI design plans. We also know that users have responded positively to the design so far.

How did Bureau Billy perform from a project management standpoint?

We shared designs through Zeppelin, which is an online tool that lets the coders retrieve and keep track of our assets all in one place. We also communicated by email to nail down our timeline, and then we frequently met in person.

In terms of schedule and service delivery, they stuck to the initial plan we established. I got a little nervous during a crunch time in August just because the timeline was so tight, but they overperformed and delivered a perfect app on time. They gave us personal attention, they understood our needs well, and all the steps of the project flowed seamlessly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They place importance on which technologies you use and they like learning new tools. Every time I interact with them, they have new ideas and new ways to implement them. They're also very aware of how to fit the right technology to the right project, which leads them to be very efficient.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think having a very good design laid out in advance is pretty important. They do also have designers, so you could go from scratch, but when you're developing software you need a strong understanding of your project requirements. The fewer unanswered questions you have going in, the better they'll be able to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an e-commerce platform in the pet accessories industry which caters to an international market. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bureau Billy?

I hired Bureau Billy to conduct user research and redesign our online store.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to refresh my store's design and increase conversion rate while promoting cross-sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

In my research, I found Bureau Billy's previous projects as well as some positive client reviews.

Describe the project in detail.

They went above and beyond to understand my niche market, my users, my needs, and my wants. They conducted user research and presented design mockups for me to review. When I approved, they implemented the new designs.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned two designers and one project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ever since the new website was launched, my store traffic and sales have been increasing steadily. I've also noticed a lower bounce rate and have received many compliments on the new branding and design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was quick and easy to communicate with their team. They guided me through every step of the project. All deadlines were met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their human approach and desire to understand my customers. I thought the team was very personable and easy to work with. The designers offered smart feedback and bright ideas.