Bordwalk

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a fully integrated engineering service provider based in London and a fabrication yard situated in Malaysia. We deliver services through divisions, engineering and training. I’m the owner.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bordwalk?

Bordwalk was hired to build our customer relationship strategy, website and branding.

What were your goals for this project?

We originally worked solely with companies based in Malaysia from our fabrication yard, we instructed Bordwalk to create a branding for our company which would help build market presence within the European market.

How did you select this vendor?

They had recently worked with one of our largest competitors who was based in Malaysia and London. We wanted an agency who would deliver and understand both markets.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we had approached the company, we had a discovery brainstorm session. The project manager flew to our fabrication yard in Malaysia to overlook our operations and meet with key individuals to understand what we wanted to achieve.

Less than a week later we had an introductory meeting which outlined the project and once instructed they worked in four stages; Discovery, Strategy, Design and Launch. The launch consisted of our brand, website, service design and an advertising campaign

What was the team composition?

Initially we worked with Joe, project manager based in London. Once the project was underway we worked closely with Nathan. I met with two designers during design phase, one experience director during the strategy phase and a developer during build. Ever since Nathan has been our main contact point week by week.

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

We successfully branched our operations from Malaysia to the Uk effortlessly. They have been instrumental to the success of our expansion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I can’t fault our working relationship, they were always open to listening to my feedback and collaborative. They kept my team and I informed throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our brainstorming session was at the Gong bar within The Shard, their office is based on the 24th Floor. Wouldn’t mind an office there myself.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t fault anything about the project, however the proposal signing process is very paperwork intensive and a bit tedious.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and director of RP Associates. We are a specialist commercial property consultancy agency based in London working with both landlords and tenants with considerable experience in the Central London and UK property market

For what projects/services did your company hire Bordwalk?

We initially enquired about having a website redesign as we poorly ranked on Google, and our property services had vastly broadened since our first website. We used to rely solely on word of mouth for inquiries which for a long-time sufficed, however, after an in-depth meeting with the team, we decided to explore adapting the whole brand and our online presence.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal of our redesign and website was to increase the number of inquiries we get online; providing an easy way to find us, get in touch and offer an informative, professional presence that would encourage enquiries from much larger clients.

How did you select this vendor?

I contacted about four different design houses, of which Bordwalk was one of them. I found them through a colleague who recommended them highly, and their reputation was good. After having a meeting with them, we felt that they had a real unique passion for what they do, this is what stood out to us and helped us in our final decision to choose them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After an initial discussion of our business goals, what we wanted to achieve and our company as a whole, they delivered an insightful proposal. The proposal described their company, timelines, pricing, what they recommend and the return we should receive. They designed our branding and website. Although the website and branding are completed, they continue to provide us with tools for email marketing, analytics, social media, hosting and a website manager.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Nathan, partnership manager/day-to-day contact and Ben, the owner. Throughout the whole project, I only had to speak with four team members.

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

Everyone loves the brand and website delivered. We haven't had a single complaint. Recently, we've received an increase in inquiries and our Google position. As we've been tracking the website through analytics, we've seen a dramatic increase in traffic.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very efficient in meeting the deadlines set in the proposal, they kept us informed at all parts of the project. The project management was excellent overall. We received weekly calls, and they were always free to take a call or have us visit their offices. Not all their staff are based in London; however, this didn't affect the project at all, it probably helped, as designers worked around the clock in multiple time zones.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have worked with a few marketing/design companies over the last few years, but one thing that makes Bordwalk stand out is how transparent and energetic they are. When it came to the project they provided honest advice from the start, keeping my team and I informed from start to finish. They were insightful, visionary but didn't promise more than they could chew — in-fact they over-delivered.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None, everything went very smoothly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Olefant Investments Limited. I’m a restauranteur and I build up a group of 15–20 casual-dining restaurants, find a buyer for them, then repeat.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bordwalk?

We hired Ben (Executive Director, Bordwalk) a long time ago to help with some of our IT needs. As our company grew, we took on his services as a contractor to help with our branding and IT needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ben provides brand design support, building websites, logos, and printing collateral, including menus, flyers, leaflets, and brochures. The sites were built from scratch for multiple of the restaurants. He monitors the sites, updating them with new promotions, offers, and information. 

What is the team composition?

We only work with Ben, since he was our initial contact. 

How did you come to work with Bordwalk?

We had a personal connection with Ben for a long time, so he had been providing support over the years, visiting our branches and setting up IT systems. Once we needed the services as a contractor, we decided Bordwalk made sense to use. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing relationship since March 2012. 

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

Ben’s services have been very important to our business. The work has been reliable, making the IT side of our business function well. If he hadn’t been performing well, we would have found a new contractor, so the fact he is still working with us shows how much his services are worth. The functionality of the solutions is first-class. Ben has successfully grown with us as we expand and has been able to provide strong work. 

How did Bordwalk perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been very good. On almost all occasions, he’s over-delivered in terms of speed and reliability. Communication between us is excellent. We primarily use one-on-one meetings, email, or phone calls to talk.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ben is extremely personable, open-minded, and able to feed off our ideas to create his own. He’s a team player and brings something new to the table whenever we have something to be developed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything concrete for him to improve on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of the fact that Ben builds a strong client relationship. It is refreshingly entrepreneurial. If you’re similar to me, it’s great to not go with a more corporate-minded company so you stay with one point of contact the whole time.