Catch

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital marketing at Ashmore Group, an investment management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catch?

We needed their team to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our existing website hadn’t had much attention to it for many hasn’t been getting enough traffic through the years, and we’ve realized it was time that it’s high for us to upgrade it. We’ve engaged Catch to rebuild the UX and graphics design of our site and to help us reach a wider audience, particularly our institutional investors, retail investors, and intermediaries.

They've migrated new data into our site and updated its system from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9, the latest version. Their team has also hosted our website using Acquia and AWS to accommodate a more mobile-friendly feature and used Figma to generate the design solutions we need.

We’ve sent them PDF files of all the data to be integrated into the platform, and they’ve implemented those accordingly through web pages, panels, and functionalities. Once they’ve settled their frontend work, Catch has focused on refining our website’s backend

What is the team composition?

We work with around eight resources from Catch.

How did you come to work with Catch?

We knew Gary (Technical Director) because he was involved in the initial web development process. When we reached out to him for this new project, he was already part of Catch, so we decided to onboard their entire team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £200,000 (approximately $272,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration with Catch commenced in March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re part of an industry that is highly regulated with stringent policies and guidelines, and Catch always makes sure that each design solution they generate is compliant with those. We’ve only worked with their team for about six months, but they’ve done so much for us already — this kind of project usually takes 1–2 years to complete, so we’re pleased to be working with such a result-oriented team.

How did Catch perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email and rely on Jira for project management. We have a smooth workflow because Catch is highly collaborative, and they keep us in the loop at all times. We can always count on their team to address any issues right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their team’s adaptability — they work within our schedules and stick to our project scope while maintaining their attention to detail. Overall, Catch meets our expectations in terms of performance and budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Towards the end of the project, we’ve encountered some areas in need of modification, which have hindered us from launching the site on time. We can definitely benefit from a more streamlined approach in terms of scheduling, so we can allot time in addressing similar issues in the future.

The client feedback period to check that everything was working as expected and was designed as per the specifications was way too tight. The idea was to collate all the feedback at once, and then work on addressing the issues after the feedback period. In the end, there wasn’t enough time to get through all the changes that were required. Working on feedback immediately would have been my preferred approach.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come up with a detailed scope and highlight all the deliverables you need from their team — Catch is a flexible team that can deliver these for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a media company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catch?

We wanted a new website that would be more cost effective, have a content management system we could easily do ourselves, and have a much better user experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Catch built our new website from scratch with a CMS. They used Drupal, with bespoke integrations. They also did the UX/UI.

Users can access their content, watch TV, address any problems they may encounter, and more. There’s a bespoke tool that will give the list of accessible channels when a zip code is entered.

They currently make changes and improvements and go through the backlog for us.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with several people, including a delivery director, project manager, lead developer, UX designers, and several coders.

How did you come to work with Catch?

Our website manager searched for UK-based agencies that specialized in Drupal. She considered six agencies, narrowing it down to three that appeared to mesh well with our dynamics. This team presented the most ambitious pitch within our budget, along with case studies to show their experience. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was £200,000 (approximately $267,000 USD) initially, with a £100,000 per year (approximately $134,000 USD) retainer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around February 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP went live in October 2019. There has been a dramatic increase in site visits. Internal and external feedback has been very positive, with users saying how easy the journey is. We are very happy.

How did Catch perform from a project management standpoint?

They do an excellent job overall, delivering almost on time. Catch did their best to work within our set timeline, deliverables, and budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Catch has a good strategic understanding of the digital world. They also have an ability to challenge us with different, often better, ideas of how to achieve our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve project management in the area of early warnings about issues or delays. The project manager was overly ambitious at times, giving a report for certain delivery times, only to change it the following progress report.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Involve them in your mission. The staff is dedicated and will throw themselves into your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Red Bull Media House UK - Head of Social Media

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catch?

Creation and management of a Messenger Bot to support our wider Red Bull Project: Pro campaign.

What were your goals for this project?

Through the campaign we want to:

1. Drive Red Bull’s reputation and people’s trust in the product by seeing top athletes drink Red Bull as part of their training routine

2. Drive everyday relevance of Red Bull in sports and fitness in order to drive consumption

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We asked prospective agencies to respond to an initial brief with a document outlining their proposal. We then met with the ones we liked the direction of and chose Catch.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Catch came up with the:

• Bot's user flow
• Built the Bot using Spectrum
• Distributed the content and messages
• Reported on its progress
• Provided suggestions on how it could be developed/optimised as we progressed through the campaign

What was the team composition?

Broadly speaking (although there was input from more) 1 x Exec 1 x Producer 1 x Developer 1 x Content Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The projected certainly added an extra dimension to our overall campaign. Catch did a great job working with the tools we provided them with (we could/should have involved them earlier with this idea in the project).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Strong. They were on hand whenever needed and also made staff available on a Sunday at a key moment of the project

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very understanding of working with a client who often had different opinions coming to them at different times - which didn't phase them or throw them off line.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was the first time we (Red Bull) had worked on a Messenger Bot and with Catch so main improvement would come by working on both again and having those initial experiences to refer to.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of talent for a digital content studio. We produce films, TV shows, commercials, VR experiences, and theme park rides for well-known clients around the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catch?

We recently switched our applicant tracking system from Taleo to Google Hire, and we needed to customize our portal so it adhered to our brand’s established look and feel. 

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to design a career site that was on brand and easy to use from a candidate’s perspective. It also had to allow for ]in-depth exploration of available jobs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Catch was already on retainer for the entire company website.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Catch delivered the work in two phases. Phase one was a button link update, implementing an open positions feed, and QA testing and release. Phase two was more complex and involved creating our job listings page using the JSON feed API, followed by QA testing and release.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with anaccount manager and had little visibility of Catch’s internal team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our Careers pages are on brand and present the best possible candidate experience. This is incredibly important in a competitive market like ours.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We managed the project via e-mail. It was highly effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication is definitely their strong suit. They were great at keeping me in the loop and chasing me for feedback when I needed to respond.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I saw. They handled everything well, and the result was exactly what we were looking for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of digital and data for the Institute of Physics. We’re a membership organization, supporting physicists and physics teachers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catch?

We wanted to deliver a new membership hub called IOP Connect. We also needed to decommission our current, bespoke Redbox CRM and roll out a Salesforce system. The projects were initially separate efforts, but due to Salesforce delays, their timelines merged.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to launch two new key products: IOP connect (our new membership and content personalization hub) and our new homepage and site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I started looking at five agencies, then invited three agencies to present a solution. Catch won our hearts and minds.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

On top of  the key products, Catch was instrumental in delivering major functionalities. They introduced a critical content API, implemented Acquia Lift to support our content personalization efforts, and worked with our Salesforce partner to build a Salesforce API. The Acquia and Salesforce tasks were massive achievements as our team was hitting roadblock after roadblock before they came on board. Catch worked well with both Acquia and Salesforce representatives to deliver these capabilities. They also introduced Auth0 authentication capabilities.

What was the team composition?

I had the pleasure of working with Helen (Delivery Director, Catch) and Becca (Delivery Lead, Catch). Their team was composed of a UX designer and several developers. All of them were gems to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still gathering statistics, but the impact among our membership base has been tremendous.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

If it wasn't for Catch, I don't think we would’ve delivered this on time. They were relentless.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite there being big changes to the project, Catch stuck to the budget and maintained the same cost from start to finish. Even when we shifted direction on a key component, they provided options within our budget.

Additionally, their stakeholder engagement was instrumental to successful delivery, and, dare I say, my sanity. The project underwent acute changes, including in project managers, and Catch dealt with it all with panache.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not at all. I recommend their services without reservation, and when I need another vendor I’ll ask Catch right away.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital services at the Zoological Society of London, an international conservation charity. We own the London Zoo.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catch?

We had a legacy website that had been built by another agency. We were seeking a group that could rebuild our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website covers the charity, mission areas, and zoo attractions. It also has various e-commerce functions, such as selling tickets. The initial tender was for rebuilding our website using Drupal. They designed the wireframes and built our website and CMS.

We’ve also used them to integrate with our CRM system, which is currently managed by another company. They built an interface to connect to our API and improve the ticketing system. We now have 40–50 sales channels to various ticketing products and services. Catch is managing that online experience and making sure that the systems are integrating properly with our ticketing and CRM system. They’ve also provided advice and made improvements to the site.

Finally, they also developed the London Zoo app. More recently, Catch and another company built a conservation app that allows people to see real-time images from various conservation projects.

We’re currently performing optimization work. We are working on optimizing user flow, especially on our ticketing and other revenue-driving channels. We are making sure that the customer experience is optimal with minimal dropout rates.

What is the team composition?

I've interfaced with a number of people from their team over the last four years. We usually have an assigned project manager. We’ve spoken a lot with the owner and two other senior people from their company.

How did you come to work with Catch?

We put out a tender and made a short list of four companies and ended up selecting Catch. They made a presentation, listed what they do, and we selected them based on that. We found them to be honest and open about how they would work with us. Catch seemed like a nice fit for an ongoing relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial website redesign was a big investment. Since then, we’ve invested in other areas with them. We have support contracts in place for keeping the website running and a monthly contract for iterative improvements.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing relationship for four years. The last iteration of the website was made in February 2014. The original London Zoo app was built a year later. The conservation app was built in 2017. The yearlong project for the integration of our ticketing system started in 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a positive impact on the site and how people have used it. We’ve had increases in users, conversion rates, page views, and so on. We have a good relationship with Catch, and they have met our expectations. They are helpful and open to new ideas.

How did Catch perform from a project management standpoint?

They are quick to respond, especially if we have an urgent problem. We use Jira for management and support. We have used Slack, but we mainly use email and phone calls for communication.

We have developed a good relationship with Catch over the years, especially working on integrating a complicated ticketing system. Doing this required a lot of work with their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are honest about timescales and costs. I would rather work with an honest agency, and their honesty is one of the things that stood out in the initial tender phase. They presented what they did and how long the work would take in an honest manner. It was quite refreshing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a lot of projects going on at once and they have limited resources. We sometimes have to manage what projects we want to work on first, which is fine. I don’t find this to be a problem.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They have lots of experts and specialists; clients should make sure that they are working with the right ones for the task. Also, make sure that there is a clear brief in place and that there is an understanding of what needs to be achieved. Catch is good at producing technical specs before the project starts.