efelle creative

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital strategy at the National Nordic Museum of Ballard in Seattle. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

We need efelle for a few things, including aligning our website more with our brand. As an institution, we need a major facelift for our website — we want to bring a more Scandinavian look, feel, and modern aesthetic to the website. 

On top of that, we need a CMS that allows us to be more nimble and flexible in terms of updating the website. That way, we can better react to events and push out new content. Finally, effelle needs to optimize the site because it’s slow and ranks poorly on Google. Beyond that, we want to ensure that we adhere to accessibility standards to make our site accessible to everyone. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The efelle team has rebuilt our site from scratch using their own CMS called FusionCMS. We’ve opted not to do a major rebrand in this project, but they’ve changed our color scheme a bit and introduced a new teal color to it. We’re using this new scheme across all of our marketing materials. Moreover, we work closely with efelle on keyword research. They’ve also developed content for us through their content developer. 

In terms of functionality, the site lets users buy and sell admission and event tickets. We can accept donations through the site, and it has a museum store where people can purchase various items. End users can contact us through the website, too.

What is the team composition?

We work with five key people from efelle, namely a project manager, a content developer, an SEO specialist, a designer, and a developer. More people are involved behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

I found efelle through Clutch. I was looking for reviews of Seattle-based digital agencies, and they came up as a highly ranked vendor. Then, I talked to a few of their previous clients and received great feedback from them. After that, I interviewed the team in person and ultimately decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $55,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the partnership in October 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website traffic is up by 28% since our relaunch. We’ve had events that influenced that, but everything seems to be trending in the right direction. Moreover, the time we need to update our site has significantly decreased — we can update the website twice as fast as before. 

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The efelle team’s project management skills are excellent. We use Basecamp as our main project management tool. To communicate, we use Google Meet, phone calls, and in-person meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have integrity; the team has high standards and technical expertise. On top of that, they’re highly responsive. We receive quick solutions to any issues we have. 

Moreover, they’ve taken the time to learn about our brand and institution. In fact, they’ve come here and visited the museum to get a sense of our values. This means a lot to us, and their effort has been reflected in the final deliverable. 

Overall, efelle has become a trusted partner of our team; they’re more than just a vendor. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest time with efelle. Help them understand your goals, brand, and values. Beyond that, have an open mind about FusionCMS. Try some demos, and you’ll see that it’s a good CMS. It’s well-supported and fairly secure. Rather than using WordPress, Drupal, or other traditional CMS choices, try efelle’s FusionCMS. 

For context, using this CMS was one of the hard decisions we made. It was completely unknown to us and locked us into the relationship for the long term. We were also thinking about using WordPress. However, we still gave FusionCMS a go. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Louisiana Crawfish Company is a family owned and operation business since 1985 specializing in the shipment of Live crawfish and other Louisiana food products across the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire efelle creative, and what were your goals?

We were operating on an outdated e-commerce platform and design. We needed a fresh look with user experience at the forefront.

SOLUTION

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

We decided on Big Commerce as our platform and from there spent 3 months researching and interviewing agencies recommended by Big Commerce.

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

I had several calls with sales to determine cost and timeline. Once we decided on Efelle we worked off the timeline from design through migration to launch.

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

To my knowledge there were up to 30 team members assigned to our project (from design to programming) with 1 main point of contact being the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We along with our customers love the fresh design and easy navigation.

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

One of the things I loved most about working with Efelle was the communication. Whether it be phone, email or zoom calls, we were in constant communication to keep the project moving.

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

Each team member I encountered with efelle was professional, patient, relatable, and efficient. They delivered a beautiful, easy flowing, user friendly site at a very reasonable price. Other agencies interviewed were charging double and triple for the same project. All things considered we are extremely happy with our choice!

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

The only hiccup we had was their understanding of the robust features needed to accomplish our shipping rules. Once that was straightened out it was smooth sailing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own an art entertainment company that specializes in caricatures at parties and tourist locations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire efelle creative?

We needed Efelle to build a website that acts as an advertising hub to attract/retain clients, and also be an informational hub for artist to sign up and be able to showcase their work.

SOLUTION

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

We looked at their previous oeuvre, and read all the good reviews they had over various sites.

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

It started off with a meet a great. We talked about branding and sites we wanted to emulate. We signed a contract, paid them a deposit, and they built our site.

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

We worked with maybe 3 people. Occasionally someone would reach out with a question, but when it came time for review or an alterations we could speak to one person, and they would make sure everything was running like clockwork.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our online business is way up, which is a must in todays virtual society. We even dropped services from other Ad companies, and still saw growth from our site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. they used a central hub to communicate to us and have all content and questions in one location.

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

Personally, I enjoyed how easy it was to talk to and work with them. If it was email, a phone call, they were always accessible and responsive.

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

Not that I can think of. We've continued hosting our site with them for a few years. One thing I've noticed, is they have retained a lot of the same people that worked on our site. It's nice to have that continuity.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at a trucking company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

We didn’t have a good website; it was old. As a result, we hired effelle to build a better one for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since our old website wasn’t in a condition that could be refurbished, efelle had to redevelop the site from scratch. I wanted the site to play a video when opened by a user. It should also be easy to navigate. The goal was to help website visitors know more about our company.

The efelle team used Adobe Illustrator to create working mockups. Then, they showed us how the website’s flow would work, teaching us about FusionCMS, which we could use to keep updates going without having to go through the team for everything. We also provided our own input in a lot of aspects, such as the colors and structure of the website. They took our input and worked with us to apply them to the website. 

At present, efelle is hosting our website. They also do maintenance work for us. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–6 people from efelle, including a designer and a project manager. Someone from their team also does photography, while another one serves as the copywriter. Our main point of contact is Marc (E-Commerce Specialist). 

How did you come to work with efelle creactive?

We looked around for media and website design firms. It was important for us to hire a team that lived in our state; they should be local so that we could interact with them — we support local companies as much as we can. With that in mind, we hired efelle. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m proud of how the website looks now. We constantly receive compliments for it. In fact, our customers have told us that seeing the website has convinced them to do business with us.

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. The efelle team follows up with us and keeps us on our toes. When we let a deadline slip, they remain patient. Overall, I’m happy with the speed of their progress. To communicate, we typically use Google Spreadsheets. Its multi-user editing functionality is great because the team can easily see our comments. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They turn our ideas into reality. 

For instance, when they asked me for ideas about how we wanted a sub-selector webpage to work, I said that I wanted it to work in a similar way to the shift knob of a manual transmission car. I floated that idea and showed it to them, and they turned it into reality. I was completely happy with that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve by sharing how each piece of the project fits together. Sometimes, we lose track of the project. If they can tell us more about what they’re doing and their expected results, that will be great. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a defined idea of what you want to see in the project. Then, tell efelle all of your ideas and they’ll turn them into reality. If plenty of edits occurs because of various people’s inputs, then the project will slow down. Such edits can drag everything down. Meanwhile, if you have well-defined ideas, you’ll have the best results. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner/CEO of Northwest Outdoor Lighting. Northwest Outdoor Lighting specializes in creating and installing custom landscape lighting designs. We are nationally awarded for our outdoor lighting designs and detailed installs. We design/install with superior products made in the USA which have a 20-year warranty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire efelle creative?

As a design company, we were looking for a company that could represent us better in the design field. Being able to tell our story through pictures and video on our website. We're thrilled to have found Efelle and already see great potential of our new site. We're still a few weeks away from going "live"! We also hired Efelle to manage our Google ads. The attention to detail and monthly reporting has helped us make adjustments to our marketing campaigns that exceed our expectations!

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found this company online and got a quick synopsis of what they provide. Upon reaching out for a consult, we met in their office and was impressed with the "team" we were assigned. How awesome to have so many talented people working on our site and giving us incite.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After the initial meeting and assigning of team members, we carefully, together, constructed a game plan of what we wanted our site to look like, how we were going to get there and what response we wanted our clients to have. Although I thought our website was fine, we did venture to revamp it and already can tell how awesome it will be when it launches in the next few weeks. We also had them manage our Google Ads with monthly reporting.

What was the team composition?

Our team consist of myself, my marketing assistant and our team at EFelle: Catherine is our account manager and keeps every one of us on task. John is our SEO/Google Ads specialist - truly appreciate his hard work and detailed accounting! Kerry leads the design team on our new site and understands the visual we want to portray.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've already seen a 400% increase in traffic from our marketing! Our new site will go live within a few weeks. We also appreciate the use of Base Camp which keeps every on up to date on progress, tasks and conversations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings online to prep for new site. We now have monthly meetings keeping us up to date as to progress and marketing.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We actually were initially impressed with their offices! You know you're working with designers, which is what we wanted, when their offices are not a boring cubicle! Lots of fun is represented just in their office. Sitting down with the team and hearing them brainstorm was great! We truly appreciate their attention to detail and their thorough communication through the whole process.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

We're very pleased with Efelle and don't know of anything that could be improved upon!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a charter fishing lodge and charter out of Sitka, Alaska. We operate yearly, from early May to mid-September, which is our fishing season. I manage several things, including employee management and land logistics. During the offseason, we reside in the state of Washington.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

We were looking to revamp our existing website that had launched approximately five years ago. The goal was to brighten the site up and make a bit more impact out there with younger people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

efelle creative started from scratch. We described what we offer and then worked with their design team on the UI/UX. The most important part of the site was they information about our services. In our industry, a three-day package often means that half of one of the days is spent traveling. For our three-day offering, however, we offer three full days of fishing and one full travel day on either side of those three, meaning the whole package is actually five days long. This difference had to be made clear. It’s the same with our four-day package; it’s actually six days long. We named the three-day package the “action” package and the four-day experience the “extreme package.”

The WordPress site has a “contact us” feature on every page to make it as easy as possible for people to connect with us. The site is finished, and we’re still engaged with efelle for monthly maintenance.

What is the team composition?

At times, we’ve had up to five resources, especially during development. Most of our communication one-on-one with Catherine (Account Manager). She was phenomenal. If she thought we needed to engaged with others, she set it up.

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

Our owner liked their previous sites and reached out to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Repeat clientele make up about 80% of our business, and we’ve had several people tell us they really like website. This translates to more people asking questions and reaching out via the email feature on the site. Either that, or they call us. There’s still more we can do together, like SEO, but they’ve absolutely exceeded expectations thus far.

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

COVID messed up our schedule, but they’ve been more than gracious with us — working and putting things aside for a certain amount of time when we need. They’re always ready and wanting to move forward, however.

We use a number of tools to communicate, including Basecamp, which is very effective in getting the word out to everybody. Email and Zoom also support us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of the latest and greatest stands out to us. They keep up with what technologies will work for us and guide us down the best avenue.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Knowing what our business does has presented a learning curve for efelle, as we kind of unique. They didn’t quite grasp the difference between sport, commercial, and other types of fishing initially.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are great to work with and have a lot of knowledge, so if you know what you want going in, then they’ll be easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a legal marketing consulting agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

I needed their team’s development expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engage efelle creative to handle the web development needs of my clients. We usually meet up to scope the development project and discuss our goals, and they proceed with building the product depending on our client’s requirements.

What is the team composition?

We work with about five resources from their team.

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

I met their owner through a professional organization, and his team was also strongly recommended by my colleagues.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration kicked off in July 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have quantifiable metrics to share at this point, but our long-term partnership with efelle creative is enough proof that we trust their services. We’ve introduced their team to several clients, and they’ve given nothing but rave reviews so far. Overall, they’re a highly skilled and dedicated team, and we don’ see ourselves assigning a different team to take over our development needs.

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

efelle creative works efficiently and promptly with our team to ensure that our clients get the quality websites they need. They work proactively as soon as we hand over a proposal, and they communicate each phase with preciseness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a creative team that’s always up-to-date with the latest technologies. We can trust them to attend to our client’s needs from start to finish. Upnow truly stands above any other team we’ve ever worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve never encountered any issues that impeded our processes.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take their initial seriously, and communicate your vision to their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My wife and I are the owners of Centauri Fitness, a provider of fitness supplements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative? 

We didn’t have time to build a website by ourselves, so we needed a team we could utilize for that goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To help efelle creative develop our website, we provided them with our company name and goals. They also looked into our competitors to determine what could set us apart from other businesses like ours. The team then incorporated that information into the website. 

In terms of features, we had a straightforward requirement, which was for the website to serve as a portal that end users could use to order our products. The website also had to provide detailed information about the products, along with the best ways to purchase them. 

Simply put, the efelle creative team had to build a simple website that raised our brand awareness, created hype, and provided people with a way to directly order from our company. 

What is the team composition?

Our initial point of contact was Christian (Digital Strategist). Once we moved forward with the engagement, we were assigned a team of 8–10 people. Each of them had expertise based on what we needed for the website. 

Moreover, we were in contact with a handful of their resources throughout the process. If we had feedback on their outputs and wanted to change something, we could talk to the teammate who did it. That way, their work could be more in line with our expectations. 

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

I discovered efelle creative through Google search. They were the first company that appeared in the results, which was an important indicator of their expertise. The SEO technique they were using was working, and that led credence to what they were offering. 

Then, I submitted a contact request form on their website, and they set up an appointment with me. We explored the types of services they offered and whether or not we’d be interested in them. Then, they put together a proposal based on our conversations. They laid out their plans for us, the costs, and the next steps for the engagement. 

Their presentation came with an in-depth analysis. Overall, with what little information we provided them and despite not knowing what we truly wanted, they managed to put together an impressive proposal. As a result, we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $12,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with efelle creative lasted from December 2020–June 2021. 

To clarify, we don’t have an ongoing relationship with them since the website is complete, and we only work with them if we need support services for the website. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received feedback from family, friends, and customers who viewed the website — they were thoroughly impressed with how professional it looked. They praised its clean design, too. 

For specific results, our single-serve, pre-workout supplement ranked third in search results even though the website was brand new and had minimal traffic. That was great for us since we spent no advertising dollars on it. We were impressed with this result. 

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The efelle creative team’s project management was terrific; they were with us every step of the way. We had a couple of back-and-forth meetings, and they were highly responsive whenever I emailed them. Katherine (Account Manager) facilitated our meetings and took questions she couldn’t answer to their subject matter experts.

Moreover, the team accommodated our schedules, which was great because we had time zone differences. In fact, our team once missed one of our appointments, but they were truly understanding. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were able to see efelle creative on the first page of search results. For comparison, other companies claimed that they were experts in SEO, but we weren’t able to pull them up on the first search results. This was impressive because we looked to their team to help us create exposure for our business. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their support services costs around $100 per month, which is a little higher for a company that’s only starting out. To be fair, their customer service is good, which is paramount to any transaction. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you’re talking to efelle creative during the onboarding process, be upfront with your expectations. They’re not going to sell your products for you; they’re only going to facilitate that process. As a result, the clearer you are on your expectations of what you want, the easier it is for them to help you. Ultimately, communication is paramount to the process and will help reduce the chances of dissatisfaction. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of Rupert Rodney. We’re management consultants that focus on driving the maximum income for our clients by looking at the impact they create.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

Our metrics for success aren’t just tied to the financial performance of our company and clients but also the depth and altitude they create for society and the communities they live in. Most website developers are familiar with putting together websites without quantitative KPIs — they just know conversion rates, abandoned carts, and so on.

We needed a company that understood that there was more to how we operate than the financial result. However, we still expected an improved outcome due to the qualitative way we operate. In summary, it was a unique challenge for any website firm because they needed to understand the ethos of our company and translate it into a product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with efelle creative with a collaborative approach. They can create wonderful outcomes for clients, but they’re also willing to work as a team if it doesn’t compromise the final product. In our case, we’ve supported the UX/UI process.

One of the key technologies they’ve developed is a CMS called Fusion. Many content management solutions were available, but they built it because they couldn’t find one that met their requirements. The CMS allows to create new pages and assets for the website and update content, but not in a template way. Also, it’s strong enough not to break up if a novice is using it — the design doesn’t get messed up.

In summary, we have complete control over the current pages, and we can make them beautiful without feeling it’s just a cut-and-copy. It’s a wonderful system, and we use it for our clients and ourselves — it’s a major part of our business.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had 5–10 people involved at different stages for this project. First, we had a project manager, a designer, and the CEO onboard us and start the project. Then, we had an entire team of coders for the coding process, and we’ve had a single point of contact throughout everything. Also, we have access to anyone on the team — we can just call them and get someone right away.

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

We were searching tirelessly to find a website development partner who was large and sophisticated enough to have all the workflows we needed to ensure quality but also intimate enough to understand the unique way we do business. We went to sites like Clutch to find customer reviews to find a qualitative and quantitative mix without compromising quality.

Since we were looking for a long-term partner, we interviewed directly with Fred (Agency Founder & CEO). Later on, we discovered that he had personally supported something important to us, but he didn’t try to get the credit for it. That, coupled with our first experience with them, led to a solid relationship with efelle creative.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$100,000, including all our clients.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can’t share metrics because our clients are under strict NDAs. However, they’ve clearly experienced between 200%–500% improvement in their ROI.

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a great team — they’re warm and professional. I’m familiar with the website design processes; I’ve been part of over 100 projects in the last 30 years, and it’s just wonderful to work with efelle creative.

They use Basecamp, so we can communicate through the project board or email, which also gets posted on the board. However, we’ve directly messaged and called the designers many times. They’re available and organized.

Also, we like Basecamp because it’s fast — everything uploads well, and we can even edit. Overall, efelle creative is a professional organization, and it doesn’t matter how we communicate with them because they’re very prompt in getting back at us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strength and flexibility are outstanding. With many creative firms, it’s hard to pin down what they’ll deliver. On the other hand, firms that are less flexible or creative can be more reliable — as long as we want it their way, we’ll get a result. However, we think that web design is art; it’s a presentation of the ethos and values of our company.

Therefore, we wanted someone with solid designers and creatives to understand the unique pathos of our company. They also had to be solid businesspeople to understand KPIs and metrics, how to drive them, measure them, and present the analytics to make business decisions. All in all, efelle creative has both, which is very rare to find. Moreover, they’re affordable because the ROI is very encouraging right from the start.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know what they could do better because I’ve never seen anyone do it better. Their ability to translate our words and desires into a first proof captures all of that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should know the business goals and the feeling or emotions that you want to achieve. The beauty of working with efelle creative is that they have a lot of experience, so you should allow them to guide you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a B2B furniture manufacturer that sells office furniture. I’m our senior marketing director and have been with the company for over 20 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with efelle creative?

We were looking for a long-term digital agency with full-stack capabilities that would be able to handle any request we had, including robust design and backend requirements.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Right off the top, we were looking to develop a parent website — a very large website on the order of 40–50 pages that would have links to our career options and backlinks to other locations. There had to be custom capabilities around a product configurator we had, as well as an easy-to-use CMS that we could interact with after the fact.

Additionally, we wanted to up our game in terms of delivering a strong visual narrative and rich, video-based imagery. Heat-mapping was also one of our asks, in addition to roll-over effects, and mobile responsive design. They also created a smaller website that was specific to one of our internal divisions.

Technologies used include their proprietary CMS. Every year or two they release a new version, iterating it into a better version. The coding work was done in standard HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and perhaps some PHP.

To begin, we created a detailed design brief and went through an extensive design phase. We were more involved than the usual client because we knew we needed to own and enjoy the end product. Therefore, our process was to collaborate very tightly with efelle creative’s in-house designers. We spent extra time in this phase to get it all right.

Adobe XD allowed us to test the designs and get a sense of the interactions between the different components. We could also test linking and comment on the functionality of designs. Our in-house team worked back and forth with them on approvals and modifications.

Beyond development, efelle creative hosts both our sites and has done targeted copywriting and SEO, which involves rewriting large portions of our content with targeted keywords in mind. They also provided many SEO options that we chose not to use, walking us through an entire game plan including keyword research and an industry study. We’re still considering whether to leverage this option or handle SEO internally.

What is the team composition?

The extent of the team through various phases was around 7–8 individuals. We consulted with Fred (CEO) in the evaluation phase, and after that, we worked with an account manager and account team, which was comprised of about three individuals: a copywriter and two designers. In the development phase, we worked with our account manager and two developers.

Catherine (Account Manager) has been our main point of contact throughout.

How did you come to work with efelle creative?

One of our criteria in choosing efelle creative was to bring hosting and maintenance and development under one roof. They offered just that, and we took them up on it.

We shortlisted top web development agencies in the Seattle, Portland, and Northern California areas, and, because this was pre-COVID conducted many site visits.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $175,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2019–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

efelle was very competitively priced for what they were offering. One specific example occurred during development when we decided to add a 3D product configurator to the scope. We’d developed features like this before and knew it would be pricey, but we were blown away by efelle’s quote, and the reason they could offer such a price was the quality of their proprietary CMS. It provides such a capable foundation that we can grow the site without breaking the bank.

The CMS is so easy to use that in the one year since the site went live, we’ve been able to handle 95% of all the required maintenance ourselves. efelle creative made sure to provide strong documentation and training on how to use the CMS, which we greatly appreciated. They even went so far as to walk us through it so we could take maximum advantage and own our site.

How did efelle creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Their procedures and processes were built on web-based best practices and their internal team’s extensive experience. Right away, they set us up in Basecamp, which allowed us to communicate, upload media, and review design references. Aside from that, we communicated over conference calls and in-person visits.

Working with two project managers — a supervisor and a manager underneath them — allowed efelle creative to be very responsive. It felt like we were their only customer. They gave us the individualized attention everyone wants.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were relying on them as our partner to help guide us with website best practices, as they aren’t a core competency of our in-house team, as we’re a furniture manufacturer., so we relied on efelle to build a great website.

The pieces that were the most helpful were their insights and point of view, gained from experience. Rather than reinventing the wheel, they coached us away from things that wouldn’t serve us and toward better alternatives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project kicked off four months before the pandemic hit, so there were growing pains surrounding both of our companies moving to a completely dispersed workforce. efelle also experienced some turnover in their developers, so progress was slow for a bit, but I give them a pass because the same thing was happening to every company in the world at that point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best advice is that they’re a capable and experienced team, but don’t let that stop you from owning the product. efelle is willing to work with you and deliver the exact solution you want. They want you to see them and work with them as a partner, and not just a vendor.