Creole Studios

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company that produces a tool for automated, recurring payment processing.
 

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

I knew that the tool I was creating would need a lot of third-party connections, and I wanted to work with a team that could build out from my wireframe and logic map. 
 

What was the scope of their involvement?

I created the logic mapping and UI design for the app, and then Creole Studios built out the functionality. The app is a simple way to set up recurring payments for rental collection, and they developed the app for both iOS and Android. They are currently helping me with debugging, as well, and we are planning to update the UI together soon. 

What is the team composition?

I have worked with around nine people. Their team included a senior developer, web developer, frontend team, backend team, and graphic designer. 

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

When looking for app developers, I came into contact with someone who had previously outsourced work to Creole Studios. I shared my logic map with them and a few other companies, and they were the team that impressed me the most with their previous projects. I didn’t go with them based on price — unlike the other companies I spoke with, they had impressive work to show me.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, I have invested about $50,000 with Creole Studios. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Creole Studios around May 2020, and we are still working together. 
 

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

We’ve already launched the app to a few beta testers, and their feedback is informing our UI/UX update. We have not started seriously marketing the app yet, but we have around 100 downloads. 

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

There were some slight communication issues from time to time, but that’s not uncommon when working with overseas teams. They’ve been able to deliver on most of the things that I have asked for. 

I communicated with Creole Studios using Skype and Trello. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their price range and attitude are perfect. In general, they have good integrity. When they say that they are going to complete a project, they do — even if it costs them more money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve by managing their personnel resources a little bit better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that communication is clear and tell their team in advance when there’s a project for them. 
 

Please describe your company and your position there.

We sell electronics accessories and apparel directly to consumers thru our website. I am the CEO.

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

We needed to implement a complex inventory feature by which customers could choose their country, and the inventory would accurately reflect the inventory available to them in that country. There is no out-of-the-box solution available for this functionality, which is why we contracted custom development.

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

We vetted Creole on smaller website development work for a few months. They demonstrated their capabilities.

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

WooCommerce, Skubana, Cartrover.

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

We worked with 2 key team members. A senior engineer and a project manager.

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

We have just launched the feature, and are not yet able to measure outcomes. The feature does exactly what we envisioned and requested. And they addressed all feedback in a timely manner.

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

The project manager we worked with is very responsive and responsible.

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

Both the project manager and the senior engineer understood our requirements and frequently suggested intelligent solutions that reflected their understanding, as well as their acumen to translate our requirements into cost-effective solutions.

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

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a household services company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

We hired Creole Studios to do custom development for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

A different developer was working on our site, and our platform had bugs on it. The Creole Studios team was then assigned to trace the bugs down with minimal information while making sure they resolved them. Creole Studios also redesigned our website and provided frontend development services in order to make our site look better. 

Their work heavily focuses on custom development. So far, they’ve created custom plugins and fixed glitches existing on the site. They’re currently working on a Jobs Module that will work with a payment system that can process splitting payments. 

What is the team composition?

I only work with Creole Studios’ project manager. That person lists down all the project's details and is aware of the best person to process our tasks. Every once in a while, I also work with their software engineer.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

I looked online and I researched for companies with good reviews. However, I found that a lot of websites had fake reviews where some statements sounded too good to be true. Moreover, when I reached out to other companies, they were only trying to upsell me. Since I did a lot of programming and development work before, I was knowledgeable about the cost of the project I wanted to do. I also knew how to ballpark the timeframe. In the end, I found Creole Studios on Clutch, and they had pretty honest ratings.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing work began in December 2020.

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

Their business model allows them to produce high-quality work. Whenever we want them to create scripts, the team is also capable of testing them to find the imperfections in their work. Overall, they just do everything.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their software engineer and project manager communicate with us face-to-face or through Zoom calls. Their communication skills are good, and we appreciate that they get back to us daily. In addition, whenever we need them to pull an all-nighter to expedite a project, they’re usually within the hour.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take every detail down so that their internal developers have the ability to go and read our messages with each other. On top of that, they clarify all the project's details, and they don’t move forward unless they completely understand their tasks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, Creole Studios have been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re in another timezone and want to get your project done quickly, you need to be able to pull an all-nighter in order to keep things flowing. Creole Studios sends messages daily, and you need to respond so that they can move forward. If not, you can turn a two-week project into a month and a half if you’re not keeping up on it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an assistant manager at Esquel Group, a leading textile and apparel manufacturer based in China.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

Creole Studios had created a website for us to manage and monitor all of our sustainable data and performance, but we needed to update it and add some features to it. We invited them again to help us with that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creole Studios detected some immediate bugs and issues with our website and fixed them. After that, they investigated other problems that we might have overlooked and upgraded our system.

Their team also did animations for our website. Since they don’t have a design team, we provided them with design ideas, and they did the coding.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people: the co-owner and two IT engineers.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

Creole Studios were the original developers for our website. After a year, we discovered some issues that needed to be addressed, and we asked them to come back and do maintenance work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had a four-month contract, so we worked from January–April 2021.

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

Creole Studios were very responsive and responsible. They did well and met all of our expectations.

How did Creole Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We used DevOps to manage our IT-related projects. We also used email and had a biweekly call to catch up on things and see where we were on the scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the most impressive things was that Creole Studios was exceedingly responsive. Even when I didn’t reply to them, they didn’t just sit back and waited for an order to keep chasing after results. They were very passionate about the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing that could’ve been better was the time difference. That was an inevitable issue, but it made it difficult to react immediately to any urgent issues we had. We also had a little bit of a language barrier, but their communication skills were very good, and we solved that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Creole Studios’ strength is their execution skills. They don’t do designing, but they’re the best option if you need responsible execution on IT.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Blak Branding & Design is a full-service branding and design agency transforming the digital and marketing ecosystem of visionary companies. With a complete range of creative capabilities, we use research, Lean and Agile UX principles and design thinking to help clients problem-find and problem-solve based on empathy. My name is Gino Morrow and I am the founder and CEO.

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

The project is Blakbad.com and we hired Creole to do the front-end development in addition to animation design and html.

• Expected to follow the brand guideline (as demonstrated through existing designs)
• Current designs are constructed in Adobe Illustrator. All supporting files e.g. fonts, images are also made accessible for the designer selected to do this work
• Relevant experience e.g. mid to senior level of expertise, knowledge of UX/UI, software design is necessary to be considered

How did you select Creole Studios and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Creole through a selection process on the Upwork platform. I decided to go with Creole because of their portfolio.

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

• Provide development for 14 unique web pages
• Provide development for animations, micro-interactions and entire website
• Follow the brand guideline (as demonstrated through existing designs)
• Experience with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, XD or anything comparable is a must.
• Relevant experience e.g. mid to senior level of expertise, knowledge of UX/UI, software design is necessary also.

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

3 people;

• Account Manager
• Project Manager
• UX Designer/Developer

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead designer for a financial services company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

We wanted to create a marketing mobile app for our financial advisors and hired Creole Studios for the task.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creole Studios developed an app for browsing document libraries. It allows our financial advisors to access them on the go.

What is the team composition?

I’m not sure how many people were on the team. My main contact is in Hong Kong and he communicated with the team in India.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

I found them while searching for app developers. They have a presence in Hong Kong, which is where I’m located, so I got in touch with them. I went through the portfolios and websites of several app developers but felt that Creole Studios matched what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Creole Studios in April or May 2019, and the collaboration is ongoing for fixing issues on the system.

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.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the business manager for a public media influence company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

We needed to upgrade our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a functioning but minimal website, so Creole Studios redid the entire design. They provided links to numerous videos and added several new pages. The site now has rotating banner ads on the top and bottom. Creole Studios also added a forum and newsletter section to increase visitor interaction.

The original website was just a simple GoDaddy platform, but Creole Studios transferred it to WordPress. We now have affiliate links on the site, which also connect to new video updates of the products. The site launched in May, and we plan to use Creole Studios again on a consulting basis.

What is the team composition?

The project manager is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

We found them on Upwork. They were more affordable than other options and had positive reviews, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $7,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from September 2017–May 2018.

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.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Members Service Coordinator for AIAM Hong Kong. As a non-profit organization, we unite a team of practitioners who work as independent asset managers in Hong Kong.

For what projects/services did your company hire Creole Studios?

We hired Creole Studio to fully revamp our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary objective was to better serve our members via a dynamic, innovative, and user-friendly new site.

How did you select this vendor?

One of our committee's board members nominated Creole Studios as a partner agency.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Our engagement focused on the creation of a dynamic new website. The new page is based on a redesign of our current platform. In addition, we wanted the option to restrict access to specific content offerings. The team created and installed a function that instates limitations for non-members who visit our page.

What was the team composition?

Creole Studio's project lead worked with our committee board members. I liaised between the two parties and functioned as a middleman to relay messages and give feedback while the project is ongoing.

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an accountant for Homex Housing, a real estate company that builds and sells houses for profit.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

We needed to come up with a CRM that would address our particular problems. One of our main challenges is managing construction site inventories—what materials do we need to order, at what times? We also have to deal with labor, such as the number of workers on a particular project at a particular time, as well as their payment method and structure. Finally, we needed help with our internal finances, in terms of how much a project costs, and what cash flow we’re expecting at a particular date.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creole visited us at our office in Kenya, where we provided them with a simple framework, and discussed the challenges we were facing in regards to what we wanted to build. We provided spreadsheets with the names of our clients, along with floor plans of the houses we were building, in order for them to get an idea of what we really wanted.

They developed a CRM system that can tell us what we need, in terms of construction site materials, with the click of a button. We are also able to use it in order to determine the amount of labor we’re supposed to bring for particular projects. We can see the number of empty or vacant houses for sale, along with the amount of money we can expect to receive. The system has different areas for assignments, construction, and sales.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with the CEO, the COO, and their head PHP coder.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

We were looking for a company that would give us a custom solution, not an already ready-developed system. Through a discussion with them, we saw they had fair prices, and that they could deliver within promised timeframe. If we had any issues, like bugs in the system, we felt that they would address those in time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000-$50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Creole Studios since May 2017.

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

FastFocus produces a mobile application that help businesses collect customer feedback. I’m the CEO.

What challenge were you trying to address with Creole Studios?

We wanted a development partner to reduce our costs and improve our product quality.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an existing iOS app that we built internally. Creole Studios duplicated all the features and functionality of that app for Android, using the iOS app as a guide. The app allows companies to create sets of competing ideas that might go to market. They can enter an image and description of each product or stock and invite customers to weigh in. Customers can swipe right on items they would invest in and left on ones they wouldn’t. After they’ve submitted their input, they can talk or type in what they liked about the ideas they would invest in.

What is the team composition?

Anant (COO & Co-founder, Creole Studios) was our main point of contact. He acted as our project manager, but our calls usually included a few other team members.

How did you come to work with Creole Studios?

We posted the project on Upwork. We picked three or four companies to interview and selected Creole Studios.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $5,000 on the first project. The next project we have planned is over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started on the project around October 2017. The project is now finished, but we liked them so well have two new projects with them. I couldn’t be happier.

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.