Angry Creative

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an events planning company and I'm one of the commercial managers of the gaming division.

What challenge were you trying to address with Angry Creative?

We needed to improve the revenue-generating potential and increase the scope of our website

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a discovery phase to scope out the project and make sure that Angry Creative fully understood our expectations and requirements. We turned that consultation into a statement of work and then into a project plan.

The team used an agile methodology. They also utilized Google Docs to manage our meetings, track our progress, and facilitate the reporting. 

What we asked Angry Creative to do was to clone our existing website and close down the older version. They enhanced the features of the newly built website. We eventually ended up creating three websites for our different brands, and the Angry Creative team made sure that there was a consistency across all of them in terms of functionality and experience.

What is the team composition?

I've worked with 4–5 different individuals at different points throughout the cycle.

How did you come to work with Angry Creative?

We've worked with Angry Creative in the past. We decided to work with them again to ensure the continuity of the project and because we’re very happy with their work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about £120,000 (approximately $163,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in December 2020 and the websites were completed in June 2021.

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

All of the websites that Angry Creative developed for us are revenue-generating, but I don’t have the exact metrics at the moment. There have been, however, widespread positive feedback from users that have led to more successful sponsorships and advertising. 

How did Angry Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

I was so impressed with their project management. Angry Creative was very consistent anbd responsive. Our relationship went smoothly because the team was never panic-stricken or stressed out and they always stuck to our timelines. 

We had regular catch-ups where we raised issues with the team. Nothing ever got out of hand or went forgotten because the team was very thorough at note-taking, logging, summarizing, and reporting back to us. They were certainly better than other providers that I’ve seen.

 What did you find most impressive about them?

Angry Creative did what they said they were going to do. They’re very reliable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The way they reported the use of our budget and our financial position could have been more straightforward.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Properly attend the project meetings and make sure to communicate thoroughly. Don’t wait until there’s an issue before you turn up.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Digital Manager at The Fairtrade Foundation, which is an independent non-profit organization that works to empower disadvantaged producers in developing countries by tackling injustice in conventional trade.

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

We hired Pragmatic through a pitch process, to rebuild our existing website in WordPress. Our previous website had been built 8 years earlier in Sitecore, which is a powerful but expensive system that we were not using to its potential because the cost of development on that platform was prohibitive.

As such we had not been able to make the changes and updates needed to keep our website up to date with our changing business goals and requirements. In addition, it was running on a legacy version that was no longer supported and the costs to upgrade to the latest version were three times that of the cost to rebuild on an open source system such as WordPress.

The decision was therefore taken to rebuild our current site in WordPress. We did not have sufficient budget to completely redesign the website, so this project was to move the website ‘as is’ to WordPress which would allow us to save on ongoing support and hosting costs and allow us to more easily make changes to the site in future.

Our goals were: A replication of our website (fairtrade.org.uk) on WordPress. A smooth transition with minimal impact to our website visitors and to internal teams. Page URLs unimpacted Limited impact to SEO AA accessibility Long term cost savings

How did you select Pragmatic and what were the deciding factors?

We invited 5 agencies to pitch for the project. All had come recommended through my network. We scored the agencies on various factors including;

• understanding of the brief
• expertise
• chemistry (with us and within their own team)
• diversity
• project management
• value for money
• extras (e.g. ideas and suggestions)

All our agencies scored well across most factors so our decision was hard and eventually came down to the proposed timings and on-going support package.

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

Scope of work:

• Move our UK website (fairtrade.org.uk) from Sitecore to WordPress, smoothly with minimal impact to our website visitors and to internal teams.
• A user-friendly CMS provided, to be used by several people at once and with different access rights
• Limited impact to SEO, no broken links, etc
• Maximise opportunities (better SEO, accessibility, search)
• Site to be built to AA accessibility rating
• We required a dedicated project manager to oversee the migration, keeping a tight track on timings and budget.
• The agency had to be WordPress experts with prior experience of managing similar migration projects.
• Thorough CMS training provided for a number of users from Fairtrade
• Agency on hand to support during the first two weeks of site launch
• Specific project management tools in place to manage progress, bugs and other ‘tickets’ and a dedicated project manager assigned to the project
• Website to be set up for Google Analytics tracking
• Thorough testing to be carried out in all main browsers and devices
• Website to be built with security in mind and advice given on how to limit issues of security going forward
• At point of project completion, the website should be running smoothly as outlined in the brief, with no known major issues or bugs outstanding. Project steps
• Brief sent 28 February 2020
• Pitches – week commencing 16th March
• Agency recruited – w/c 23rd March • Contracts and due diligence completed April 19th • Project Kicked off 20th April
• First review of site, end of May
• Review of site and feedback w/c 15 June
• Bug fixing w/c 6 July
• Site checks and approval w/c 13 July
• Site launch 29 July 2020

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

We worked with around 5 team members, they were project manager, UA designer and developers.

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

• We achieved AA accessibility which was a very important part of the update.
• We have not seen any negative impact in SEO or site traffic
• We were able to redesign the homepage as part of the project, allowing us to address more of the issues experienced with our old site.
• Onsite search is significantly better than it was
• The CMS is significantly better than previously (more user-friendly)
• The website went live six weeks ahead of our deadline
• The project came in on budget

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

We had a dedicated Project Manager who was very good and accommodated our changing timelines. We had weekly update meetings and had access to the Confluence project management system. Outside of meetings, we had direct email communication with a number of the team and responses were prompt and helpful.

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

Pragmatic has a very good understanding of WordPress and used that expertise to guide and advise us, and to respond to our requirements and demands. They built our new site very quickly, working through the issues and unexpected roadblocks encountered. They were always professional and polite and the project was completed ahead of our deadline.

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

Some of the costs came in above the budget stated in the brief, this could have been managed slightly better (although I had a contingency budget so there was no impact in terms of completing the project within our total project budget).

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a district project manager for a multinational food product company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

We were developing a new WordPress website. We wanted it to be flexible to use so that we could manage it through our newly-created in-house team, rather than an agency.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pragmatic developed a site for us. We had to migrate all the content from the old website and create a new WordPress platform. We’re using several components on the site, including WooCommerce.

What is the team composition?

I was working with three main people from Pragmatic, but I also interacted with their technicians and designers. The team consisted of about 8–10 people.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

Our company identified the need to move to WordPress, so we started looking for an agency. Our global team recommended Pragmatic, which had done business with our wider team elsewhere.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Pragmatic in October 2018, and the site went live in March 2019. Pragmatic still provides ongoing support.

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

I’m happy with Pragmatic. We have an ongoing relationship for monthly support; they fix bugs and make minor changes we can’t do ourselves. We’re managing the site’s content in-house. We’re looking at making a new e-commerce section within the next 12 months, and they are supporting us with that.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

Pragmatic manages the project well.  We meet regularly, and they’re using an agile methodology. It allows us to get to a concept quickly and flexibly. Pragmatic also quickly adapted to the guidelines we chose midway through the design phase. 

We have a Confluence setup, which was great for tracking deliverables, key actions, and project documentation. I know they also use Jira as a ticketing system. We make use of Slack, which saves us a lot of day-to-day emailing. They’re also big on Google Hangouts, so we had video calls exclusively. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Pragmatic’s communication is strong. We’ve really gotten to know the team we’re working with. We’re not based in the same city, so spending time together thorough videocalls takes effort, but they are happy to chat with us regularly. We discuss the main project on an almost daily basis. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Pragmatic should be even more proactive and communicate risks—either with our timeline or list of tasks—as early as possible. They should also be clear on the impact those risks may have.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of marketing and communications at a cybersecurity company. We're based in the UK, and we have operations around the world.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

Our website was in need of a serious overhaul in terms of the design and the messaging, so we were looking for a vendor to develop a new website for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had some meetings where we discussed the strategy and the objectives for the website. Then, Pragmatic developed a new WordPress website for us, handled the creative aspect, and helped us launch the site. The new site presents very clearly our mission, the problems that we solve, and our solutions. There is also a section with customer testimonials that we didn't have on our previous website.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact and we worked with a team of about four people.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

We submitted an RFP and reviewed the proposals from the highest rated website developers in the UK. Pragmatic submitted by far the best proposal, so we chose them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between November 2018–March 2019.

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

The number of website visitors and the time they spend on our website have increased dramatically. We're very happy with the look and feel of the new website.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and engaged, so it was a pleasure to work with them. We had regular phone calls and they kept us up-to-date with the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They know what they're doing, so we could trust them. They made the whole process easy for us and managed everything very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We had a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't skimp on the budget. They're worth it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the senior field marketing manager at ClusterSeven, the leader in spreadsheet and end-use computing (EUC) management software. We’re based in London, New York, and Boston. I’m in charge of planning and executing the lead generation plans for the organization.

For what projects/services did your company hire Pragmatic?

We originally came to them for support for our WordPress website and quickly understood that they could help us with much more than that.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to reduce our bounce rate from the homepage and increase conversions on our free trial page.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for WordPress vendors online because we were unhappy with the supplier we had at the time. We selected three vendors to meet with and got proposals from them. Our marketing team ended up selecting Pragmatic.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We first had a half day discovery session with Pragmatic at their offices to go through the website and explain the parts we were unhappy with and what needed to change. They gave us their opinions and later produced a proposal of the three areas they thought we should update first within our given budget, which led to a project plan.

They reworked the UX on some of our key landing pages where we had high bounce rates and low conversions. They also updated the design of our free trial page and homepage. Pragmatic built the pages in a testing environment and shared everything with us over video meetings. We provided feedback on the changes we needed, which they implemented before pushing the website live.

We have them on a support contract for four hours a week. They tackle any new requests we have, which we can submit via their online portal. We’re also looking to use them for growth-driven design so that they can implement important changes to the whole website’s design and navigation.

What was the team composition?

Our two key contacts have been their client services director and commercial director. We’ve also dealt with web designers, support staff, and more.

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

From reviewing heat maps on the webpage, we can see that more people are clicking in the places we want them to. Our bounce rate has started to decrease and conversions are up. We’re going to continue our plans for further improvements to the website in order to advance our conversions even more.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We chose to go with Pragmatic because they communicate clearly and meet deadlines. We have scheduled calls to review work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re more than just a web agency; they’re proactive and bring a lot of ideas to the table. Pragmatic helps us bring our thoughts to life on the website.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. We’re happy with their work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead digital product development for a global B2B media company that focuses on financial services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

We needed to jettison an outdated, clunky CMS, while at the same time updating our websites to be more user-friendly and responsive.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pragmatic suggested themes and designs based on our existing brand guidelines and then worked with us to develop a backlog of feature requirements. They built our new platform on WordPress, while also helping us migrate content from our legacy platform. Pragmatic were our core partner in relaunching 8 different sites and continue to work with us on iterative feature development and product evolution for both our subscription news and events platforms.

What is the team composition?

The team size waxes and wanes to match our needs We tend to have a scrum master/project manager as well as 3-4 developers as the standing team.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

Our relationship began with them on a smaller project in 2013. They offered sensible, efficient solutions that would bring value quickly to our business. They later pitched, along with other agencies and platforms, for the work to relaunch our subscription portfolio and were successful in their bid.

What is the status of this engagement?

Pragmatic continue to provide development support.

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

Stronger commercials – our sites are performing better across the board, with higher user engagement leading to more and better sales and renewals.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communications and project management are best in class. We are in constant communication via Slack, Aha!, Jira, and over the phone. We frequently meet in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go above and beyond to deliver what they’ve committed to and are constantly suggesting new ideas – and not just to win new businses. Pragmatic feels like a bona fide partner, not simply a service provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; I’m very happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a robust relationship and take advantage of their experience, insight, and desire to help businesses improve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a digital communications manager for an organization that provides health care services to the local public.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

We wanted to make our website mobile-friendly and more accessible to those with disabilities and other language needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I joined the project when we started the build, so I’m not sure what happened before that. One of the best features they implemented was enabling us to customize our website through the WordPress plugin Cornerstone. Pragmatic did all of the frontend and design work, but we can change some of the layouts on the site ourselves without having to rely on designers as much.

We’re one organization, but we have numerous departments that each had their own legacy websites, so Pragmatic helped us move those all onto one platform. They gave us the tools to create multi-sites that were all accessible and connected to the central site. Now, our website is Android and iOS friendly, automatically responds to a user’s screen size, and the menus all function properly no matter the device.

What is the team dynamic?

We mainly interacted with two people, one being our project manager, but I’m sure a larger team worked on our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Pragmatic in July 2016 and the site went live in December of that year. We still work with them, though.

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

The site is much easier to navigate and more responsive than before. We don’t have any specific numbers on traffic, but I know access via mobile devices has increased. A lot of our staff have said how much better it is now, and we haven’t had any complaints from stakeholders, which is a good sign.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a pretty good job. Near the end, I was communicating directly with the developers, because it was faster, but the project manager logged all of our contact. We mainly used email, conference calls, and a tool to log any site faults right on the page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and unique problem-solving skills were essential to our project’s success. They made it possible for us to be more independent and make changes as we see fit, instead of having to turn to them for every little thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since the site launched, Pragmatic has been a bit less responsive, but that may be due to us not having a formal support contract with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for Lumesse Learning, a large learning technology provider with 3 business units, including talent acquisition, management, and development. I’m involved in the talent development unit. We have material learning products, and we also provide custom-built services, as well as advice and guidance services with learning strategy and implementation.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

Initially, we wanted to bring our hosting costs down and replace our existing website support agency with better resources.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pragmatic was brought in for hosting and web support, but have since helped with other things.

We’ve moved on to website builds, and they’ve helped us build a site for one of our products called Me Time. The process was very fast and painless, because once we decided what we wanted to do, they put it in place quickly. They dealt with all the issues we had with various videos which we wanted to run on the page, and they were generally very responsive.

They steered us towards a particular WordPress theme which they thought would be useful for our needs. They also pointed us towards a guided tour called Cornerstone, which enabled us to build webpages in-house. We were able to do quite a bit of the setup ourselves, as well as the maintenance.

Pragmatic saw that this avenue would fit our needs, and since they introduced us and trained us to use this tool, we’re now able to go in and tweak things as needed. From our perspective, it’s been a very successful implementation, and a great idea. We get a lot of leverage out of the regular fee we pay in terms of retainer, because they do a lot of other things which are useful to us.

What is the team dynamic?

I initially spoke to David [Founder & Director, Pragmatic], and I’ve since also worked with Ian [Support Manager, Pragmatic], Ryan [Lead Support Developer, Pragmatic], Tom [Support Developer, Pragmatic], and Stephanie [WordPress Developer, Pragmatic]. If I’m ever unsure who a responsibility belongs to, I go to Ian, and he tells me who to talk to. When we implemented the website, I was mostly in contact with Ryan and Tom.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

A friend recommended Pragmatic to me, and also said wonderful, glowing things about them. Their founder, David, also initially impressed me with his attitude. Their name sums up their process well, because they get the job done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2014, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

Between Quarter 1 in 2016, and Quarter 1 in 2017, the website sessions increased from 2,800 to 8,000.

The core of what Pragmatic offers is support, maintenance, and hosting. They were immediately able to bring our hosting costs down, and they also provided us with better support and maintenance than we felt we previously due to their expertise and knowledge. They know what they’re talking about, and they do what they say they’re going to do on time.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was very good, and everything was brought in on time and according to budget. They were very responsive. We mostly communicated through JIRA, but we used email and calling as well.

Their team is also very observant. If I bring something up which they can’t fix immediately, such as a browser issue, they will continue working on it until it’s fixed. They will come back to me a week later, when I have forgotten about it, and present a solution. Things don’t get forgotten with them, which is a big improvement compared to who we were working with previously.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication, honesty, and efficiency have really impressed us. When they have had staff issues, they’ve been transparent about it, which I found to be really helpful. They are a fast-growing company, as we are, so we understand the pressure.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are on an as-needed basis at the moment, but it would be helpful if we had regular calls with them to see how things are going, what may be coming up, or if they can help us with anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a media and IT consultancy business that makes strategy recommendations for how clients can best proceed with their goals in internal and external communications, media orientated aims, global projects, etc. For multi-agency clients, I act as an independent contractor to manage them and make big-picture strategy recommendations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

We run numerous website for many different clients, and most aren’t Internet experts, so they need a support team to help maintain their sites. I wanted to offer those services for my clients, so I began to look for an external provider that could assist me.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Generally, I approach Pragmatic with a set of client goals and a verbal brief, and they decide if it’s good or needs to be refined, which is done via wireframes or just general discussions. Once we’ve determined the best plan, Pragmatic begins WordPress consultancy and development. All of their work is WordPress-based, and we have more than a dozen live sites right now.

My team takes care of site design, but we sometimes ask Pragmatic for their input and opinion. My clients often have marketing goals (e.g. achieving a certain number of users, reaching a specific audience, etc.), and Pragmatic has been helpful in suggesting technologies they can use to reach those goals.

Pragmatic is involved in both the initial development of the websites as well as their maintenance and support. They keep the sites up-to-date and secure, and they perform minor upgrades when our clients request them.

What is the team dynamic?

The team changes often, but I consistently work with three key people, one of them being our project manager.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

I searched for an agency online for a long time. None of them were a good fit until I came across Pragmatic. They seemed competent and able to speak to me in a language that I understood, so I hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2015, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of the sites we develop are brand new, so they’ve never been in the public domain before. However, we’ve gotten great engagement on those sites, and our clients are all extremely pleased with them. They haven’t had any crashes or bugs; they’re 100% reliable. Several of the sites, on average, receive 1,500 to 2,000 visitors every ten days.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

If I ever have a question, they’re quick to respond. Their online helpdesk saves me a lot of time, and sometimes my issues are solved over a quick email. If not, Pragmatic will call me that day and set up a time to fix the problem. They try to remain as independent as possible, but they’re not afraid to speak up and ask questions if they need information. We typically communicate by phone, email, or their helpdesk, and we use Dropbox for file sharing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attitude is incredibly impressive. Every project has obstacles and problems, and they always positively deal with them. Some agencies get angry or impatient, but Pragmatic works hard and finds the solution.

They also listen to my ideas and offer solutions that I hadn’t thought of. They aren’t condescending in their expertise, but really try to work together to make our partnership collaborative and friendly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything's been great.

Advice for potential customers?

Pragmatic is a hidden gem. If I could do my timing over again and find them five years earlier, I would. I've reviewed a lot of agencies in the past and you don't often find an agency like this. Begin working with them as soon as possible, and count yourself lucky.

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a private eating disorder clinic in Kensington, London. We help women suffering from types of eating disorders at different points in their recovery. My role is in communications and treatment advisory; so supporting people that access our treatment.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Pragmatic?

We needed an iOS and Android app developed, but couldn't do it without help since coding isn't our background.

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The website was first designed with Pragmatic about five or six years ago now. Since then, they've supported us by managing the content remotely and designing new features. The mobile app we're doing now is the next biggest effort undertaken with them since the website project.

The app is an online resource for eating disorder recovery. It reflects our approach at the clinic, which is very holistic and quite unique in terms of what’s usually provided at an eating disorder clinic. It walks the user through the process, step-by-step. The app visualizes recovery to users at their own pace and essentially educates them about the whole recovery process, but specific to the circumstances on their account profile.

We also have a nurture log feature that lets users document their feelings throughout the day, kind of like a digital journal. We essentially went to Pragmatic with only an idea and had them help us realize it. The app itself is for iOS and Android devices. They built and launched both apps together only a few weeks ago.

How did you come to work with Pragmatic?

We had worked with Pragmatic previously on our website. We felt like they had a good understanding of our branding and our message and what we wanted to convey. And since they'd done the website successfully, it made sense to let them take a shot at the mobile project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them September 2016 until March 2017.

How did Pragmatic perform from a project management standpoint?

The team had about four people at one time; possibly one or two more. Tom [Account Manager, Pragmatic] was our project lead and he managed and oversaw every element of the work, which was extremely helpful. We used Confluence to help us track and document everything. That was a was especially helpful since the team was dispersed geographically. We’re in London and they’re based in Boston, so it’s not like we can organize meetings very quickly or easily.

I also found it impressive that they asked for feedback about their performance. As a result, we had fairly regular bi-weekly catch-ups about how we felt things were going and where things might be improved. The open dialog really contributed to a productive relationship.

What distinguishes Pragmatic from other providers?

Pragmatic really invested in creating a loyal and trusting relationship with us. For example, I really appreciated that when we were incredibly busy, they were highly responsive. They wanted to ensure that every feature and every element of the app reflected exactly what we wanted in terms of content, branding and messaging. I respect how involved they got. You don't expect that kind of ownership.

Is there anything Pragmatic could have improved or done differently?

There were some minor changes at the beginning of the project because of how quickly the shuffle ended up being. Sometimes the team would shift a little bit, and that was confusing sometimes. In those earlier situations, more proactive communication would have been nice. Again, however, Tom, who was leading the project, was always there for us whenever we needed him. He was always honest about things whenever we had questions.