Creole Studios

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

Creole went above and beyond to satisfy us. As a branding and design agency, I am extremely critical about how our designs look and function. We have a very high standard for design and development.

Over the course of working on the Blakbad.com website with Creole, we developed an efficient and effective rapport, that's reflected in the final product. I enjoyed working with the Creole and I really have fun working through solutions. I look forward to a long, prosperous relationship with the Creole team.

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

Over the course of four months, I met with the Creole Team on average 3-4 times a week. In the final 2 months, we met once or twice a week. We used Zoom to conduct our meetings.

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

Their customer service is impeccable. Their talent is undeniable but even in instances when the project initially appeared to challenge the team, they would work until they provided a solution that met my expectations.

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

There are always areas of improvement for any company however, Creole delivered all they promised and more.

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

We’ve tracked the usage of the app and we haven’t encountered any user issues so far.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

My Hong Kong contact is really good and has helped me a lot. He’s available 24 hours a day and is always on top of things. This is why I’m working with Creole Studios—they do what they promise and that’s why I like them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I like the most about them is their customer service. The contact person in Hong Kong has helped me go through issues and always addresses what I want.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They deliver on their promises, but they don’t work with short timeframes. They require 4–5 months to complete a project. Other than that, I think Creole Studios is good.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The only advice I’d give is to set aside time to go through all the details and work with them. I wouldn’t recommend them for urgent tasks, though.  

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

Creole Studios was able to successfully migrate the site without any errors. They were able to further enhance the site by adding features and effects that we requested. They had no problem meeting our demands. They did an excellent job.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Anant facilitated the conversation between the teams to ensure the project went smoothly. Both Anant and Ankita were responsive and responsible. Communication was quick and effective via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creole Studios produced high-quality work through comprehensive testing of all implemented changes.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They’re pricier than other developers, but definitely worth the cost. We learned the hard way that using less expensive developers can result in problems. Creole Studios gets the job done.

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

The value for money Creole Studios represents has had a significant impact on our bottom line, especially compared to our previous supplier.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Management-level discussions went smoothly. Once we had the team in place, we managed their work directly through Jira and Skype. The unpredictable nature of our demands caused some scheduling issues from time to time, but Creole Studios’ management always handled it neatly. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creole Studios is excellent. Working together has been a real pleasure. Their work is quick, accurate, and efficient. All the staff approach communication with patience and consideration. They’ve enacted everything we’ve requested smoothly. 

Creole Studios’ in-house WordPress and infrastructure skills are top-notch. Our project included awkward requirements stemming from legacy issues our previous developers caused, but they took on the challenge and excelled. I strongly recommend them. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. Creole Studios is both a team of really good people and a great company.

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

Currently, our app is in the beta stage. We received excellent feedback from primary users based on the easiness of the UI. Creole Studios delivers quality work on time and communicates effectively.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The CTO oversees the project and the quality of their deliverables. Communicating with their team is effortless. We collaborate through Slack and Jira for task and project management activities. Since we’re spread across three locations with different time zones, we communicate weekly through Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment and care to delivering the best work are impressive. Their key ideas help our team tremendously. Mostly, I’m impressed with Creole Studios’ work ethic and timesheet management. We are only charged for work on the project; any outside research was taken care of by them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are satisfied with where we are and what we have. Our ideas are shaped up more and more each day. I would suggest adding team members in the UX/UI department to speed up those areas of development.

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

The new site is much faster than the old version. Our viewers love it and have consistently given positive feedback.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They were super responsive and on top of their project management. We mainly communicated via email, text, or Upwork’s messaging function.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did high-quality work and were incredibly patient with us. We aren’t very tech savvy and have a small staff, so it was probably frustrating to teach us how things worked, but they were always respectful and helpful.

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

The project took a while due to few hiccups and adjustments, but we have Creole Studio to thank for its successful launch. The team is efficient and worked hard to go above and beyond what we'd planned. They made the website launch go as perfectly and smoothly as it possibly could have.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The process was bit slow due to the three-team composition. The language barrier and time difference proved challenging since our client is based in Hong Kong, our team is in the Philippines, and Creole Studio is located in India. Communication proved difficult since it involved lots of approval requests and discussion before we could settle on one solution. If they found something to be less effective than it should be, Creole Studio invested time and resources into revising it over and over. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What we liked most about Creole was their flexibility. Having direct access to the owner and his team made the project feel comfortable and flow naturally. Instruction and suggestions might have been lost in translation if there'd always been a middleman.

Creole Studio went far beyond the original plans to ensure client satisfaction. Despite the language barrier and time zone difference between us, they worked hard to make sure we were happy.  They willingly completed several requests we made that hadn't been included in the initial plan.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Response time and quick resolution on issues are two areas. Delays resulted in us not meeting the given timelines.

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

Our client response time is much faster and our communication is simpler. Their work also increased our cashflow and decreased our budget, given that we can determine how much a particular project will cost, and how much material it will require. It’s made our management process much more efficient.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email and conference calls, but they also visited us, on-site, in Kenya. We haven’t experienced any language barriers so far either.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very talented in terms of web development, and knowledgeable about IT. We can tell them what we need and what we want, and they will convert that into a solution. They have very good communication skills, they respond fast, and they’ve been able to address our challenges. No matter what we requested or what challenge we faced, they were able to address our needs in a timely manner.

I would recommend them to anyone looking to build a good, tailor-made system from scratch. Creole Studios can help clients combine everything that they’re doing, in terms of sales, stocks, and finance, and build the right tool.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could perhaps work quicker, but I can’t really think of anything at this time. We’re continuing to work with them, so something may come along, but we haven’t had any big issues so far.

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

The relationship is excellent. They delivered on time and tested everything to make sure the quality of their code was good. They allowed us to start billing clients sooner and helped create great efficiency. We saved a lot of time on QA and have confidence in the code. Our clients are happy and we have very few issues. Our best metric is client satisfaction, which leads to more revenue.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a 10 out of 10. Sometimes, offshore companies have issues with communication, but their English is excellent. We met regularly and they were prepared. We used GitHub for bugs and issues and they always fixed things quickly. Sometimes, we’d see an issue and they’d fix it before our meeting the next morning. They took the time to understand the application and did more than just take the requirements and specifications literally. We got a lot more quality because of that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by their overall quality and professionalism, as well as their ability to partner with us and take responsibility for action items.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are very busy, so we’ve asked them about expanding their resources so they can take on more work. They’re doing a good job growing and accommodating our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to Anant. I’m sure they have other good project managers, but he provides good advice. I would point anyone who wants to work with them in his direction.

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

They provide an amazing advisory service. They explain what options are possible for the project. I don’t want to work with a company that simply says what they can and and can’t do or that just completes what you assign to them. I want someone who can truly advise.

It feels great working with their team. We have open communication and deal with issues together. Sometimes the team leader calls me to explain what’s going on and what our options are and to clarify things. Sometimes our client has changes that I need to pass along. They explain their approach and take action. The whole experience is pretty good.

How did Creole perform from a project management standpoint?

They collaborate pretty well. Most of the time, we can reach them with issues and they respond and can mend things pretty quickly. They don’t take a long time to understand what I need, which is why I will continue working with them.

We communicate through a Skype group that involves all 5 of their team members. We discuss everything. Sometimes I raise an issue with a new request from the client, we discuss it, and I let the client know what stage we’re in. They have comments on the work, which I pass on to the team. Then they make modifications and follow up. I most often hear from the project manager and one of the directors, who is actually the CEO.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very supportive. Whenever I have a question, they are responsive and advise me on what to do. I feel comfortable knowing they are backing me up. If I have project inquiries, they can do a feasibility study for me based on the requirements.

Another thing that is impressive is how honest they are about what they can do. I’ve dealt with other Indian companies who say they know what to do, but in the end, they are unable to deliver. I stopped working with them. Creole is honest with me. Some project scopes are not in their skill set, and they tell me  they can’t take them on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don’t seem to have personnel for fully testing a system. Sometimes I find bugs during testing. That’s one area I think they can improve.