Empressia

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the company who produces equipment for toilets and changing rooms. We also specialize in lockers, toilet cabins, and supplementary equipment like tabletops. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Empressia?

Our previous website had become outdated and we had problems with its security. The code of our platform was cracked and we also got some bad links. Maintaining it was becoming costlier and less effective. Aside from that, we also had problems with its marketing and general look. That’s the reason why we were looking for a new engine and for developers that could build a new platform for us. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Empressia developed our new site in Joomla and integrated a master domain solution. The team’s task was to secure the site using solutions that were well-tested in the market. 

Another core requirement was that the online shop should be on the same engine as the site itself. The third demand we had was being able to manage multiple foreign language domains from one administration point. Even though those domains would be indexed separately, we wanted to have one media library, one article library, and so on to be able to focus on translations. Lastly, they also worked on the site’s SEO. 

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Empressia’s project manager who was responsible for the preparation, implementation phase, and making changes. Another person was responsible for SEO.

How did you come to work with Empressia?

There are plenty of providers on the market and my first choice was to have our old developer implement the revision. However, their offer was completely out of budget. They also couldn’t put all our regional shops on one engine.

That’s why I started looking at Google for companies close to our location because I wanted to actually meet the people I’d be working with. I shortlisted and visited a couple of companies. In the end, Empressia offered a complete solutions package and they were the only one that met our budget.

The other developers we looked at were twice or three times more expensive. Empressia also made a good impression face to face. They had a young and dedicated team. Most importantly, I could see that they were interested in the project. When we met them, they were already proposing solutions for developing the site.

How much have you invested with them?

Altogether, the project cost €20,000 (approximately $23,700 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership with Empressia last September 2019 and our project ended in late April 2020. The project was delayed by three weeks but that was because of the changes I implemented during the run.

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

We’ve gotten very positive feedback from both construction companies and architects. We have a network of about 5,000 clients, mostly people that make assessments by look and pictures. In the construction industry, the architect is buying with his eyes, either he likes something or he doesn’t. If he likes it, then the price won’t really matter.  

It’s hard to measure the impact of the engagement but our target markets definitely appreciated the pictures on the site and the way the information was structured. Construction companies loved that they can just enter and buy the products they need.   

How did Empressia perform from a project management standpoint?

Empressia had really good timing and flexibility in implementing the changes we asked for. We first made a roadmap with milestones and started with the page layouts. Then, Empressia created a design book covering font sizes and types, tags and descriptions, and so on. We made a precise agreement on the layout style of the pages and they implemented it accordingly. 

After that, they finally populated the pages with content and made all the redirections. The entire structure along with content was set up on a temporary server, double-checked, and launched very fast after that. There was no magic behind it, just proper planning, sticking to deadlines, and fast replies.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It may sound silly but the most impressive thing was that Empressia delivered what they promised. It often happens that we’re given a beautiful story at first, after which there’ll be one obstacle after another and it won’t be done as we wanted it. We highly appreciate that Empressia gave us clear requirements and told us they could do it and they did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some changes they made were lost after an update. Fortunately, that was a one-time situation and it wasn’t a big mess. I don’t have any actual improvement points for Empressia and I can’t blame them for a situation that could’ve happened anywhere.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We would definitely recommend them. Empressia provided good and well-priced services. Moreover, they’re not a one-person-studio. The team isn’t very big but they have enough people to handle each and every situation to solve every problem. If they don’t know how to do something, they’ll mention it. Above all, we liked that they’re honest. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Datumo - company specializing in Big Data. We created a platform based on Apache Druid technology. I am a project manager, but I also participate in marketing and sales operations.

For what projects/services did your company hire Empressia?

We hired Empressia to redesign our old website and create a new one based on a specific idea.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a nice, simple website that is ultimately a way for our potential clients to reach us.

How did you select this vendor?

We considered a few options, however after going through reviews, we decided that Empressia is a company we should go for.

Describe the project in detail.

After initial talks, establishing what the website is supposed to look like, Empressia provided us with the first version. Since then we worked iteratively on improving the looks and contents. Each iteration, Datumo created a list of changes and Empressia delivered them or suggested some ideas of their own.

What was the team composition?

There were a few people involved from vendor's side but I was in contact only with one or two, which made communication a lot easier. Phone calls, emails, messages - nothing was a problem.

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

My company is happy with the end results. I have no way to illustrate the impact yet. The most important thing is that at the end the expectations were met.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was perfect, tasks always finished within a schedule. We didn't need any tools, this project was not complicated.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Excelent communication, which I consider to be one of the most, if not the most important thing while working with other teams. Also, when I had some questions or was missing necessary knowledge, Empressia was always very eager to explain and help.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It is difficult for me to point anything in this section, beacause the project went smoothly from the beginning till the very end.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a business trainer, coach, consultant, assessor, facilitator, mentor, and co-founder. Along with providing training and advisory services, I conduct coaching processes as part of executive coaching, job coaching, and life coaching programs. I also support groups in identifying and solving problems by facilitating in-depth discussions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Empressia?

My company website was designed in 2008, and I had not updated it since that time. In 2016, my site longer met the requirements for a modern website, so I decided to invest in a newer product. I don’t have any internal engineers, so I had to outsource the entire web design process to Empressia.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a simple, user-friendly website that met modern graphic design trends. My end goal was to increase the number of inquiries that I received through my contact form.

How did you select this vendor?

I searched online for web designers in my area and found that Empressia had the best recommendations among their former customers. I selected them based on those recommendations, the quality of their proposal, and their final valuation of the project cost.

Describe the project in detail.

Once I selected Empressia, I had a meeting to discuss my vision and goals. Nine days later, I received an initial design of the main page of the site. We finalized the plan for the main page after a few more discussions.

Next, I provided feedback on how I wanted the rest of the site to look. Empressia took my comments into account and came back to me with wireframes and concepts for subpages, including a new contact form.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a senior web developer, who also happened to be one of their co-owners, to serve as my main point of contact throughout the project. I only spoke with him but was made aware that more employees were involved in the implementation of the site's features.

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

Within a few months after my new website launched, I saw an increase in overall traffic. The updated design of the contact form makes it much more visible on the site, and I've received more inquiries than I did with the old one. I continue to hear positive feedback regarding the usability and look of the site, both from existing and potential clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The senior web developer was always available. There were some misunderstandings, but we achieved our goal in the end.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with Empressia’s optimization and web design skills. They were able to design and implement a complex and demanding set of requirements. I will certainly engage with this company again for any website needs that I have in the future.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The emails sent by the senior web developer were much more informal than the emails I usually receive from vendors, but I got used to that fairly quickly.