Thinkbound Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We source and supply seafood throughout North America and in some parts of Europe, and I’m the marketing coordinator. Our team is small, so I’m the only person focused on marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thinkbound Inc.?

When I started with the company, I noticed that our website was very basic. Customers could only get our name, contact information, and a general idea of what we sell. There wasn’t much about the products themselves, so this seemed like a good opportunity to get us to that point.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided website development and creative content site components. Prior to our engagement, we didn’t have a strong definition of content on our site, so we needed help expanding. At this point, the site is launched and updated. I know I can call them if I run into issues, though. They also provide our hosting.

What is the team composition?

I started out working with an account manager who was responsible for quoting their work and getting us set up. Once the project started, I mainly coordinated with Alex (Founder & Director) and a designer as needed. 

How did you come to work with Thinkbound Inc.?

I got quotes from 3–4 companies with the intention to compare my options. They wanted to understand and learn more about our company. Additionally, they were responsive and willing to work within our time and budget. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2019, and our work wrapped up in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been looking at incoming emails from people that have found us through our site. Many of those inquiries and leads convert into actual customers. We’re also able to direct our customers to the site as a resource.  

How did Thinkbound Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re organized, helping us keep up with their progress along the way. We communicated with Google Sheets project updates, texts, and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did a great job responding to our urgent requests very quickly. Their team is able to address problems within 24 hours. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

While I’m satisfied with their work, they could be a bit bolder with their creativity. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Actively communicate and show a reasonable amount of flexibility. Additionally, recognize and appreciate them when they exceed expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Vifloor Canada provides commercial and residential projects with floor covering for projects of all sizes.  Our specialty is commercial walk-off matting, commercial flooring, bespoke carpet, custom area rugs and broadloom as well as, artificial landscape grass.  Our focus of business is in the commercial, multi-family, hospitality, residential, and senior living sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thinkbound Inc.?

This year marks our 25th anniversary, and we decided to celebrate this milestone with a re-branding and revamping of our website.  We realized the functionalities needed enhancing and the look of our site needed a refresh.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thinkbound redesigned and developed our website. This revamp incorporated designs and functionalities that are standard and expected in 2020.  A couple of top enhancements were to include mobile/tablet optimization, easy navigation, and showcasing our blog in a better way. One of the highlights we incorporated was a visualizer they built to enhance our custom rug and broadloom category.   

What is the team composition?

Alex (Founder & Director) was my main point of contact. He worked with my in-house designer and me.

How did you come to work with Thinkbound Inc.?

I googled and researched companies myself, observed their own website, functions, ratings, etc. In the end, I brought in three companies, and Thinkbound was one of them. We provided each company with a full list of our goals and what we wanted to incorporate into our website, which included a sample list of other company websites highlighting things we liked about it.  

Then, I left the floor to them to deliver a presentation, and Thinkbound ultimately won the contract. This presentation was an introductory meeting that allowed me to watch how they responded, the detail of information, and the feedback they provided. It was a telltale sign of how our relationship would unfold.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from September 2019–April 2020. Any delays in the process were due to me and the unfolding of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We reflected on whether this would be the best time to go live. Ultimately, we decided it was the right time to launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we launched so recently, I can’t give an answer right now. With time, we’ll be able to see analytics and provide a qualified reflection of the impact.

How did Thinkbound Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really helpful to have one point of contact for email and phone conferences to provide direction. This allowed us to build rapport and develop an understanding of how each other works. This made project management effective for Alex and I.  Overall, communication was good.

As for his team, I didn’t work directly with them, but they were doing the work behind the scenes, and I was satisfied. Many ideations were fluid in the early weeks, and ultimately, we were able to balance our vision with realistic development goals.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

From the get-go, Alex understood our company and website objectives. They have the technical experience and understood the direction we wanted to go in. One of the first things I noticed about him upon our first meeting was that he listened, asked thoughtful and targeted questions, and had a grasp on our goals, which resonated with me.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was the stage where we neared the first big edit of the website. This needed a lot of time and attention to review every single detail and nuance of the site.  Often times, this can present an issue with the communication of what we mean to say versus what the other party understands. So Alex and I decided the best way to communicate changes would be to create an Excel spreadsheet.  This spreadsheet included every URL page-by-page, with notes for edits so it would be clear for the developers on the changes to be made.  

It was a big spreadsheet with big and small changes.  Due to the size, we needed to crosscheck with the spreadsheet several times because things weren’t complete when noted as such. We needed to go back a few times to vet the site and spreadsheet, which was time-consuming. Ultimately, Alex took a lead role to get the changes complete.  

This was a point of frustration shared with Thinkbound, even though I appreciated the enormity of the task and the level of detail needed.  A final review on their part before sending the returned document as complete would have mitigated the back and forth.  That being said, they did tend to everything in a timely manner.  This is my only criticism, and we must take the nature of remote work into consideration. All-in-all, they came through, and I was very pleased.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best advice is to have an understanding of what you want.  Our team researched and looked at examples of what we needed and wanted before the engagement. The second phase for us was putting pen to paper.  This does two things; helps them quote you on the project as well as assist them to formulate an approach and plan for your project.  For us, by providing Thinkbound with information and details, they were able to get to know and understand our company and spend more time on the creative aspects like the messaging and the look and feel of our site.  It gave them a launching-off point and solid ground to start from.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Eypex Corporation, an automotive lighting and fastener supplier.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thinkbound Inc.?

At the time, I was starting a new company. All I had for brand materials was a name; we had a clean slate otherwise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thinkbound Inc. helped build the pillars of our brand identity and promise: peak technology, peak commitment, and peak experience. They also created our website. The site has parallax scrolling, which was something I requested. Thinkbound Inc. incorporated that into the designs of the home page and each subsequent page. 

Before building the website, we’d go back and made changes to our website for SEO after the fact. For this project, before we even made a page, we had an entire vocabulary of keywords and phrases as well as how we want to integrate our brand promise into our site from the start. That way, we could efficiently build the site’s SEO without shoehorning things that don’t fit naturally into our content.

What is the team composition?

Alex (Founder / Director) has always been my point of contact. I’ve used him almost exclusively. 

How did you come to work with Thinkbound Inc.?

I think Alex met one of my employees while they were on vacation. The employee came back and told me about him, encouraging me to give them a call. When I did so, I found that Alex had a very easy delivery when he spoke. 

From the beginning, he acted as more of a partner than as a vendor we’d be paying to do something. He put himself in our shoes and thought about what we’d want and what our stakeholders would want for a given product. His team also will push back on our ideas if they think it can be made more sustainable and impactful; they won’t deliver a bad product to us just because that’s what we asked them to build. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent under $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2012. Everything has been completed, but it’s ongoing because we want to keep things fresh for our customers. I prefer to start over on products rather than iterate. Our current site is about 1½ years old, and we’ll be looking to rebuild it in about six months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gotten good internal and external feedback from our customers. We haven’t focused on SEO because we’re still identifying our target market. I’ve done 7–8 projects with Thinkbound Inc. over the past 9–10 years. They now have a good understanding of my sensibilities. We can talk about the foundations of messaging, branding, and identity rather than just the product we want.

How did Thinkbound Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Thinkbound Inc. set up a temporary site that I can share with my team and get input with stakeholders about what they like and don’t like. Other developers I’ve worked with wanted to develop in secret and launch without checking with us first. I appreciated Thinkbound Inc.’s collaborative approach that allows me to collect feedback from multiple people. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very accessible. Thinkbound Inc. has grown a lot since we started working with them, but they still have an entrepreneurial, direct point-of-contact interface. I can send them a text in the middle of the night to ask for changes, and I’ll get a response by morning. That direct access and responsiveness make working with them incredibly easy and efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not signed up for any newsletter or blogs that they might have. I like suppliers who tell me what’s happening in their industry, especially when it comes to tech. The more they can share with us about how we can evolve and grow in a specific area, the better. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Have an open mind. No one knows your business better than you, but if you’re going to use experts, let them be experts. You should use Thinkbound Inc. to better understand your customers and be as effective as possible in your space. Take their advice.