Benkendorf group

BACKGROUND

I am the Founder & CEO of BackupLABS

BackupLABS provides automated backup for SaaS and cloud applications, helping businesses protect data from the tools they rely on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• The website was about three years old and had started to look dated. The pages were very similar, and the branding and colours were inconsistent. I wanted something much cleaner and more modern.
• The main reason I brought Benkendorf Group in, though, was the product itself. I'd bootstrapped most of the dashboard with developers. Technically it worked, but UX and UI weren't really their strength, so parts of the product had become quite clunky, particularly the setup and onboarding.
• I wanted someone to look at it properly from the customer's point of view and simplify the experience.

SOLUTION

Referral

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

2-5 Employees

Benkendorf Group carried out a comprehensive UX/UI audit and redesign of both our website and SaaS product dashboard. For the website, they redesigned key pages, established a cleaner and more consistent visual direction, and improved layouts, typography, and the overall presentation of the product. For the SaaS platform, they reviewed the customer journey from signup through onboarding and connecting services such as GitHub and Trello.

They identified usability issues, removed unnecessary steps, and redesigned key workflows to make the product easier to navigate and use. Key deliverables included a detailed UX audit, redesigned website pages, improved dashboard interfaces, simplified onboarding and setup flows, and design specifications for our development team.

They also worked closely with our developers during implementation to ensure the improvements made it into the live product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Support issues per new customer were reduced by approximately 50% following the redesign.

Two steps were removed from key parts of the setup flow, reducing friction during onboarding and account connection.

Monthly paying sign-ups increased while the overall volume of support requests remained roughly unchanged.

Very well. The cadence of meetings was about right, communication was good, and they kept the project moving with clear milestones and regular follow-ups.

If anything, they sometimes moved faster than I did, but that was because I wasn't always able to dedicate enough time to the project while dealing with other parts of the business. 

I can't fault the process. They kept things moving even when I was the bottleneck.

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

I’d probably say UX and UI were their biggest strength. They started with a complete audit of the website and the dashboard, showed us where people were getting tripped up, and gave us different options for simplifying things.

They’re very good at putting their mind in the mind of the customer, whether that’s a lead landing on the website or someone trying out the software, and seeing all the hoops you’re making them jump through to get connected up. The whole flow was a lot better once they’d finished. They also got the visual side straight away. I showed them a few sites I liked, and the first design was 80–90% spot on. If another SaaS founder had a product that worked but felt clunky, I’d definitely recommend Benkendorf Group.

Probably just the final QA. There were a few small things, such as typos and a couple of older website blocks that didn't render properly on mobile, that ideally should have been caught before launch.

Nothing major, and they were responsive when we found things, but a more thorough final QA pass would have been useful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Outranking.io - the AI content writing and SEO optimization platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Benkendorf group?

We hired Benkendorf Group to redesign our existing platform and make it more intuitive and accessible not just for SEO specialists but for copywriters, editors, and content creators with minimum SEO optimization knowledge.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The company was recommended to us through their previous client in our shared network.

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

Before starting the project, we had multiple calls to discuss the approach we want to choose and which changes we have in mind for the platform. Throughout the calls, we established the baselines and shared our expectations for the result. Our working process was planned and separated into weekly sprints. Each sprint was dedicated to a particular type of feature and at the end of the week, we have weekly discussions to review the mockups and suggest the fixes that would be planned for the following week.

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

We worked primarily with Alexander as our account manager, the team included designer and his assistants from Benkedorf Group and a development team from our side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the challenges of our project was that redesign and development were going hand in hand. So as features were designed, we were already implementing them in the next sprint. This way we saved vital time and launched the new features on time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Together with Alexander and our web developer, we were on the calls weekly exchanging ideas and discussing how we could improve the product. It was always a productive exchange.

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

All the mockups were high quality and done in a timely manner. They understood how our end users will approach our platform and refactored the UX/UI.

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

Nothing in particular.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder of a company focused on building a renewable energy retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired the Benkendorf Group to help us develop our custom e-commerce Member signup flow. The goal was to have a professional-looking signup tool that was functional, responsive, and secure across web and mobile browsers.

SOLUTION

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

Another vendor that we worked with recommended this team. We decided to work with them based on their professionalism, ease of communication (English), rapid response times, general excitement for the product we were building, and overall capabilities to help us accomplish our goals.

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

We worked together to wireframe the flow and scope out the required worked. The ultimate solution included collecting, maintaining, and storing PII, Google SSO capabilities, a Stripe based payment integration, and more. All of this was integrated into our website via Squarespace with the backend residing on AWS. The team helped us navigate all the tools and platforms, develop the solution, implement, and de-bug any issues.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact. We also worked with one developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution looks very professional and we immediately had customers commenting on how well it worked for such a small company. The project was delivered on time and on budget.

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

The team was very flexible to meet our approach. We had daily meetings to review progress and talk through any challenges. Additionally, we used email and Trello as our primary communication and task management platforms.

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

We really appreciated that they didn't just build what we asked. They went beyond that by continuing to give us feedback on branding, design, and UI/UX improvements based on best in industry work and experience.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Dev Mind, a company, which specializes in recruiting developers and IT experts from Eastern Europe for Western companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Benkendorf Group for project “WerbeVelo”, where our main goals were to develop a mobile app for placing advertisements on bicycles and create a web app, which would be essential for easily coordinating cyclists. 

SOLUTION

How did you select Benkendorf group and what were the deciding factors?

Our company already had experience working on projects with Alexander, where he proved his expertise in promoting IT companies and recruiting developers for various tasks. We chose to work with him in regard to high level of communication and organization, and positive feedback on his participation in other projects.

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

The working process on the project was separated into the following steps:

• Conducted research and analysis - n accordance with these results, we organized the information architecture of the system and product solutions for our customers.
• Design - In cooperation with Alexander, we created a visual style of the system.
• Development - Benkendorf Group then hired developers, which developed mobile apps for ios and android, and the web app for coordinating cyclists. The Benkenkendorf Group’s responsibility was to manage the team of IT-specialist securing the smooth development process.

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

While working on this project, a team of 10 specialists was gathered: iOS and Android developers, frontend and backend developers, DevOps specialist, project-manager, and UI/UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully released the project according to the set timeframe. Our cooperation with Alexander helped the client’s team to open a business in several cities and continue its development.

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

We started with meticulous planning of work on the project along with planning of sprints. Each of this sprints included weekly scheduled video calls, when we coordinated tasks and time planning. It is important to mention the high level of organization and communication skills of Alexander and his team.

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

Benkendorf Group proved itself as a client-oriented company. Alexander organized client support in German for our customer and quickly resolved all of his issues and questions via WhatsApp. Throughout the project, Alexander suggested ideas for the additional functionality of the app. Meanwhile, his team produced high-quality design and development work.

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

We are quite happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of DepositFix, a company that provides payment integration software on top of HubSpot CRM.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Benkendorf group?

We recently updated the back-end for our application and were looking for redesigned UI, that would fit this improvement.

What were your goals for this project?

One of our high priorities was to make the interface simpler to use and maintain. Another important aspect the speed of execution.

SOLUTION

How did you select Benkendorf group?

The company was recommended via Facebook Group. We were particularly interested in the results of their finished projects and the style of self-presentation. The company's representatives were easy to cooperate with.

Describe the project in detail.

Benkendorf Group was responsible for developing the renewed UI and UX design, creating UI for each major screen of the service, UI Kit and a set of guidelines. The plan of work was separated into the following phases:

1. Benkendorf Group conducted their own research to determine a suitable framework to base the development on, UI style and concept. Thus, several different drafted versions were closely reviewed to establish the one, that would be convenient to implement, and yet, unique and qualitative.
2. Once the research phase had been over the team developed conceptual solutions for the main screen, while improving the complexities of UI.
3. The designs for other screens were created.
4. Benkendorf Group developed a new set of UI guidelines.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Alexander Benkendorf and his team, including the UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The created UI design was intuitive and clear, developed fast in estimated terms. Alexander and his team improved our service product with the new design, that positively affected our metrics.

The communication process was simple, all the issues were quickly detected and eliminated.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We scheduled meetings twice a week to plan sprints and analyze our results. The chosen style allowed us to communicate effectively and suggest adjustments, if any were needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a high-quality design, professional service, and a convenient work style.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing extraordinary happened during our collaboration to suggest any kind of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the company director, Martal Group is a lead generation company servicing IT vendors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was last updated 5 years ago and we needed some external help with concept redesign, new visuals and marketing materials facelift.

SOLUTION

How did you select Benkendorf group and what were the deciding factors?

The vendor was recommended in a FB group.

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

Benkendorf group helped to develop the following

• marketing collateral redesign
• website development, testing and migration

Website development SOW included:

• Recreating 5 unique website pages and 38 identical blog pages in the new WordPress theme.
• Embed the new template with static and editable dynamic elements
• Analytics integrations
• Launch the website in hosted sandbox environment for testing
• Test SEO optimization (add plugins if needed), recreate website pages metadata, speed & performance
• Migrate the website to a new hosting, website launch

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

We have worked with Alex (the founder) and he was the focal point for this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design and development and marketing collateral redesign were completed in a timely manner.

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

All timelines were met, although the schedule was pretty tight. Communication with the team was good, even though we had 7 hours time difference.

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

Innovative design concepts introduced in the process

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

Nothing in particular

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Chief marketing officer (CMO) of Healthy Network Inc., which specializes on technology development in medical field, in particular, Lungpass smart-stethoscope.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Benkendorf group?

We hired Benkendorf Group to create our company’s brand and identity, develop our website and mobile app. Our initial goals were to present a world class product, attract investments and ensure company’s growth. We achieved all of the above in cooperation with Benkendorf Group.

SOLUTION

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

During a strategic session with Alex Benkendorf, we appreciated his expertise and interest in the further development of our company.

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

Giving the wide scope of tasks, we started with strategic session with Alexander, where we planned the working process. Benkendorf Group studied the company and product itself to develop the brand and company’s identity. In accordance with it, the UI and UX design for our website and mobile app were developed. Later, Benkendorf Group created the package design, company’s presentation and other marketing materials.

First step was to develop brand and its identity. Brand messaging was discussed during the strategic session, later the main visual style, identifying the company was created. The following task was to create the design and develop the website. For these purposes, the research was conducted to determine target audience portrait and create the design, which would be appealing to them.

The existing mobile app was thoroughly analyzed to establish the main shortcomings, later the UI and UX research was conducted to completely redesign the application and fix initial flaws for android and ios versions. Besides that, Benkendorf Group helped to create the design of Lungpass smart-stethoscope’s package in different languages, develop structure of pitch deck for the investors. The company’s presentation video script was written in cooperation with Benkendorf Group, as well as other communication materials.

Alex and his team took the lead in managing the contractor who filmed the video. Further, Benkendorf Group assisted in the launch of advertisement campaign and sales in Russia and Belarus.

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

We worked closely with Alex and his team of experts which included:

• UI and UX designers
• web and mobile developers
• project managers
• writers and assistants

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While working with Benkendorf Group in within a year we achieved our most important goals: got additional funding, won awards for the best investment pitch and company’s video presentation, successfully launched sales in Russia and Belarus and planned to expand on the European and US market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Call sessions were scheduled weekly, which let us cooperate more efficiently. We appreciate the managing style and attention to details from Alex and his team.

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

The high-quality designs and support materials are well-structured, fitting our company’s brand image. This brings our company’s message to customers and investors.

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

Sometimes the search and hiring of particular specialists were slower than expected, a full time developer on the team would also help with the delivery speed

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the cofounder of the SaaS business, our platform is focused towards the B2B niche, specifically marketing professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Benkendorf group?

We had built an MVP and were getting good customer validation, but the main bugbear was the user interface looked dated, and wasnt intuitive enough.

What were your goals for this project?

To redesign the whole UI/UX, from overarching concept, through to implementation.

SOLUTION

How did you select Benkendorf group?

Based on existing portfolio, reviews from previews clients and speaking with the team, to get a good feeling for capabilities.

Describe the project in detail.

To redesign the whole UI/UX, from overarching concept, through to implementation.

What was the team composition?

mostly humans

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design was perfect, there are no limitations to design iterations, for the sake of getting something right.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

really great

What did you find most impressive about this company?

the output, thats all I really cared about and that was the best bit.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Yes, after completing the initial project and launched the new design, I was repeatedly (twice over 18 months) asked to leave a review. On doing this, it was ridiculously long, with tedious questions.... Leaving a real sour taste in my mouth at the end. I really with they had done a better job of selecting a review platform partner....