Filament (Now EY Design Studio)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of RoboActive Inc. We’re in the WealthTech and FinTech industry. Our business manages assets both internally and through advisors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We wanted to create a platform to make wealth management easier to understand and utilize. Our goal was to offer an app that houses all of a person’s bank accounts and financial service needs. We hired Filament to create the UX/UI design of the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started working with Filament when we created our ideas for the app’s design. Their team helped us create the user persona within the platform, as well as the wireframes for three different modules. They designed the admin portal, the client-facing side, and other features of the platform. Filament handled all of the front-end design and created the user flow for the app. They also worked with us on the color scheme, font, iconography, etc. for the product.

What is the team composition?

We had one main contact who led the design process, and Sarah (Digital Projects & Operations, Filament) handled the coordination of the project. A few other designers and teammates were working on the project as well.

How did you come to work with Filament?

Our CEO researched several groups and came across Filament. After gathering recommendations and vetting their team, we chose them for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $90,000–$100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with Filament helped us get our product to a stage we could use for our demos. By having a complete design, we’re able to retain and acquire more money for our business to bring our product to life. Their team was crucial in designing the platform in order to raise funding for our vision.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly updates, but the calls became more frequent when we asked for additional features and changes. Their team was on top of the work and openly communicated with me about anything important that we should consider. Working with Filament was easy, considering I was new to the development world. They used a project management tool, Invision, and Zeppelin to share documents and track the workload.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated their background and expertise in the finance industry—they fully understood our needs. We shared knowledge between our teams and they provided strong insight. Additionally, they delivered work in a timely manner and everything matched our vision. Their speedy process and accuracy were valuable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, it was an easy process working with them. Although we ran a little over deadline because of changes and additions from my end, they were accommodating. It also would have been easier if our teams were located in the same place, but that isn’t something that hurt the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s helpful to work with a team closer in proximity, but we still had a strong engagement with Filament.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the design director of a fitness technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We were looking for help with discovery and user experience design for a brand website for our workout application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

During a long discovery phase, they worked to understand who we are and what makes our users tick, and then, they built an experience based on that. Throughout the process, they interviewed many stakeholders and users to understand the landscape. We then used that research and feedback to inform the next stage of some light prototyping and wireframing, which we did as a team. 

They developed our original brand website. It was awesome because we started with a lot of the same approaches that we take as a business as well. They worked with us a lot on our personal training website and marketing. They also helped us develop a personal training app that uses dynamic video to give the user a customized workout in the comfort of their own home.

We’ve done quite a few updates to the site throughout our collaboration. The basic website got some of the essential bells and whistles and evolved the experience as we were acquired. We added new functionality to our app experience. They updated the site to reflect those new experiences and made it even more interactive and personalized to follow along with how we were improving our app experience for our users.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Steve (Owner, Filament), who was the main business strategy and development person. He did all the contracts and made sure we felt comfortable about timelines. Matt (Former Design Director, Filament) took care of things from a creative perspective.

How did you come to work with Filament?

When we were a startup, we saw some work they had done for another client, and we were impressed with the style, look, and feel of the website, and the ease of use. The UX was great and was paired with some compelling visuals. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 2013–2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a lot throughout our engagement. They brought a lot of key attributes to the website experience in their user forward approach, the way that they understood our software and the way it was meant to impact the user’s experience.

We’ve utilized some of the interactive widgets that they developed on some of the other websites that have come since. We are still using some of their cool tech ideas in the way that the app is presented to the world today. It was a great bridge to have such an interactive multimedia experience in your hand and translating into a mobile website.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

It was great to have them in our office for a week, getting to know the team more one on one, seeing the way that we worked, and building out the first frames of the site. It was cool to see them in action and, in a way, they melted and gelled with our collective group.

Steve and Matt were a great pair in the way they complemented each other, especially in doing user and stakeholder interviews and the way they played off of each other. They always knew the right questions to ask, and there was great rapport there. They also led a lot of the brainstorming and sprint exercises. They were always invested in our business and what our users needed.

We had some strong personalities, and they were able to make sure that those people were heard while not drowning out what was needed from the rest of the team or users. It was great to give that feedback back to those stakeholders and pull out the voice of the user.

We got them set up on Jira, and they used the same tools we were using, which was amazing. We also had shared Slack rooms and used that quite a bit in addition to InVision, which we used to get feedback and test things out. It was a collaborative sprint effort.

Three to four years is a long time to have an engagement with a company like that, and by the end of it, they were friends rather than just our vendor.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Filament stands out because it felt like they were an extension of my team. They knew the way we wanted and needed things. They understood the company culture, and they delivered our overall brand experience in what they were bringing to life. They took the same craft, energy, and care that they do with representing their own brand. It was a great relationship and friendship, and there was a great trust.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having their team in your office for a few days so they can soak up the company culture and talk with as many people as they can. It’s invaluable. Some of the things they were able to get out of stakeholder interviews with executives helped to elevate the experience we built on the web. I highly recommend having Steve and his team spend some time with potential clients live too.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Contract Consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We reached out to Filament to build our website with a new brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Filament held a brand strategy session to help us figure out how to attract our target audience. Then they developed our website on WordPress, and they continue to make themselves available as needed to make updates or fix any bugs. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked closely with the owner, as well as a few others on the team.

How did you come to work with Filament?

I know Filament's founder, so I was already familiar with the quality of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $30,000 and got a lot of extra value by working closely with the owner.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for about 6–9 weeks at the end of 2017, and the site went live ahead of schedule. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users have been very impressed by the professionalism, user-friendliness, and functionality of the new site. We've even had leads calling in from outside the US as a result of improved online performance.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is great to work with. They asked a lot of great questions, were very quick to turn around tasks, were receptive to my feedback, and were very professional and courteous throughout the engagement. They also did a good job of getting in touch with the right people on my team when I was hard to get ahold of.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered on their promises. I've worked with other vendors in the past to try to save time, but they were unable to produce the deliverables we needed, whereas we could always count on Filament to deliver and set expectations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are a few things on our site that I'm having a hard time figuring out, so it'd be nice if they could provide guidelines or instructional videos to ensure we've been trained on how to use the tools they've built. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with project needs and be open to their processes, keeping all lines of communication open. They have a good process in place that helps clients narrow down a vision and specific branding elements. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a board member for the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation (OCLF). We’re a volunteer organization that represents collaborative divorce practice groups in Ontario.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

Our previous website was outdated and lacked an interactive design. We engaged Filament to revamp the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before starting development, Filament interviewed contacts within our target markets. They then compiled a list of requirements to address the identified user needs.

Filament created the new site on WordPress. They spent a great deal of time planning the design. They created graphics and a new logo, and they chose the site’s color palette and fonts. The revamped site includes features where we can more easily update information going forward. Their team also created a discussion forum, a members-only login area, and an event portal where users can register and pay online.

What is the team composition?

We first worked with the owner, but they then passed the lead role to a project manager. He served as our direct point of contact and coordinated a larger team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Filament?

Several colleagues had worked with them on prior projects. After sending out a big for proposals and considering our needs against their capabilities, we decided to go with Filament. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000 CAD (approximately $38,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received positive feedback from the board before it launched. Our volunteers and members are especially happy with the online event registration process.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

Their organization and timeliness impressed us. Filament created a timeline and stuck to it throughout the engagement. The only delay came from our side. We had regular meetings with 3–4 team members. The project manager ran each session and assigned dedicated references to each aspect of the development. In the later phases, the team addressed bugs right away and got back to us quickly for features to test.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was highly responsive from start to finish. They demonstrated proactiveness throughout the development process and answered any question we had quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the project ran smoothly from start to finish, which blew me away.

Any advice for potential customers?

Invest time in preparing the information you’ll need to share with them. Identifying the right contacts for user research is critical.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former CEO of a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We planned the launch of a new product, which ultimately served as a new direction for the entire company. We contracted with Filament for branding services for the product and for the company. Additionally, we needed a website that would evolve into an e-commerce site to market and sell the new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial phase of the work was to create a new logo and a landing page for the website. The site was initially a static site to hose our pre-sale launch. The additional elements were a full branding style guide, as well as an e-commerce site. They conducted thorough research into the customer persona and how that should be reflected in our brand.

The e-commerce site involved an integration with an e-commerce platform that no longer exists but was a local partner of ours. It is a WordPress site, but to the visitor’s eye, it was a completely custom, modern, and engaging experience.

What is the team composition?

The principals of the firm handled account management, and they also served as the art directors. They handled the relationship very closely and were very much involved in the ideating.

How did you come to work with Filament?

When we researched the space, we were attracted to their quality of work. We had also prioritized a local firm so that we could meet face-to-face. We appreciated their creative approach, and they became the top choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from mid-2013 through mid-2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our product launch received intense exposure, and the website experienced heavy traffic, but it was designed to withstand that much activity. Within two months, we did about $1 million in pre-sales through that site. There was almost unanimous acclaim that the site was beautiful, which was vital to the image we were presenting. We were a largely unknown entity, so we weren’t relying on any historical branding or presence, but the feedback was great.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

We experienced several changes during the project, but they were flexible enough to keep the project on track and keep us apprised of the effects of those changes. We operated out of Basecamp and communicated well. We had clear deadlines, and they were met for the most part.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re aware of the latest design and implementation tactics, and they bring strong ideas to the table. And they’re willing to push the envelope and take risks in a responsible way. We had confidence working with them that we would always have a modern and engaging presence.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re generally reliable as project managers, but there were times when we had concerns. They generally met deadlines, but it was often quite close.

Any advice for potential customers?

They are a thoughtful firm in terms of trying to understand the customer persona and incorporating that into the brand elements. They will take care of creating the design ideas and the implementation, but if you come with clarity around who you’re serving, their talents can be better leveraged.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the vice president of product marketing for the digital program at Scholastic Education, which sells education programs to schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We were in the process of launching four programs, three of which were brand new and one that had been in the market for over 10 years. As part of the effort, we wanted to create a family of websites for each program as the company moved into the digital space. We wanted the sites to be consistent with the brand, beautiful, and clear.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Filament designed and developed four websites from scratch, collaborating with our team from conception to launch. They conducted stakeholder interviews in the beginning to gain an understanding of our needs from both the perspective of the business and our consumers, creating buyer personas in the process. They then developed some design recommendations. Once those were approved on our end, they built out the site map and began drafting the copy and design. They also created some video content for the sites, without falling outside of budget constraints.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one main project manager throughout the engagement, which helped maintain a level of consistency from site to site; a copywriter, who became very familiar with the product and spent a lot of time collaborating with our team; and a head designer, who had a few designers working alongside him as well. Their team has been top-notch in terms of designing the vision we had in mind for the sites.

How did you come to work with Filament?

They came highly recommended from one of the other programs we were launching as an acquisition. After reviewing some of the other sites they'd designed, we felt like they would be a good fit both from a UI/UX perspective, as well as for the fact that they could provide copy editing and writing.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably invested over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They were already working with us when I joined the company in mid-December 2017, so I worked with them on the remaining three sites. I believe they were hired on around August 2017 and we launched the last site in August 2018. They continue to provide maintenance and support as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team did an excellent job overall. They were able to meet a very strict deadline for one site launch, working past 3 am to make sure we hit our target. We've already received a couple hundred trial requests, a good indicator that the sites are performing well.

Each site they launched has been better than the last, and the most recent site they launched was by far one of my favorites in all my experience with previous vendors. Their work was even well received by some of the hardest people to please within our organization.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very systematic in their approach to designing and building each site. The project manager we worked with performed exceptionally well, despite the many people she had to communicate with on our end. They were flexible in meeting our needs, shifting priorities or making changes as they came up, and completing everything in a timely manner.

We managed project tasks through BaseCamp and content through GatherContent, which I found to be very useful. In addition to regular email communications, we had weekly status meetings through digital conference calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer a full-service staff, which includes web design, development, and content creation. With our small marketing team and tight budget, it's nice to be able to work with just one vendor that could coach us through everything in a more comprehensive, consistent way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our staff isn't as technically advanced as Filament's. Although they're on the cutting edge of a lot of new technologies, I think it would help them to be more flexible as they work with organizations that are slower to ramp up their IT capabilities.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

While you don't have to have your designs fully figured out, it's helpful to have a strong vision of what you want going into the relationship. Filament has the ability to work across multiple types of organizations and industries, but they'll rely on your team to provide as much useful information as possible to get started in the right direction. Make sure to have the experts on your team collaborate with them, so they'll have a better idea of what you hope to achieve. Also, don't be afraid to provide them with feedback or turn down any ideas you don't like—their goal is to provide you with exactly what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of product development for a financial technology company. We provide payment platforms to merchants in North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We were designing and new product line and wanted the platform to have a modern interface. We hired Filament to perform the UI/UX design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of our products is a payment application on terminals that merchants and consumers use to process credit card payments. Developers write the software and banks typically manage the terminals. As a result, platforms similar to ours tend to look dull and conservative. We brought Filament on to the project to design a unique and engaging UI/UX.

Once the project began, they asked us to bring in resources that could challenge the platform during the process or afterward. Then, they brought in stakeholders and we sat down to ensure everyone was on the same page. This was necessary as some of our staff is well-versed in payment software, but they lack sufficient design expertise. The inverse of this is true as well. Filament provided exercises that allowed our teams to cut through industry jargon and start to speak the same language.

The actual design process was iterative. Filament spoke with consumers to get a sense of what they like and don’t like about using payment platforms. After bringing that data into the process, they pitched several design examples to our team. Instead of picking an entire deliverable, we highlighted an element of the design we found beneficial from an aesthetic standpoint. Checkpoints like these occurred multiple times throughout the engagement to ensure their designs didn’t stray too far off track. Ultimately, they delivered a compelling interface that was easy for our developers to implement.

What is the team composition?

Their president reached out to us initially and remained involved throughout the process. We worked directly with their design team.

How did you come to work with Filament?

They reached out to us and everything fit together easily. They had some experience working in the payment industry and are located relatively close to our offices. Hiring them was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $60,000 CAD (approximately $46,000 USD) and $70,000 CAD (approximately $54,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This project took place from January–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The payment system is currently being implemented, so I’m unable to provide definitive metrics at this time. However, we’ve shared the design with some key customers as well as our internal sales, operations, and marketing teams. Each recipient said positive things about the platform’s design.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

Filament utilized an agile approach to develop a lot of design iterations. They did what was necessary to keep the project moving without adding too much paperwork. This included a variety of design and review tools. Basecamp is their primary project management tool and we found that it facilitated frequent communication between our disparate teams. They insisted we meet in-person for the collaborative exercises and that process worked out well. Other than that, we’d have hour-long calls with them twice a week to discuss their progress and provide feedback.

Their president didn’t get involved with project details, but he fulfilled a managerial role and made sure everything kept moving forward. The design staff is mostly experienced in mobile design, but they’re a team of young professionals that brought new perspectives to the project. They brought ideas to the table from their own experiences as consumers. However, they eventually grew to understand our industry and the importance of our products as the engagement progressed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their active communication and receptiveness towards feedback. Unlike other companies, they didn’t just accept our assignment and deliver an incomplete product a month later. They led us through the entire process and encouraged our involvement as needed. They’re also fun to work with, so that helps.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to see them develop a more in-depth knowledge of payment systems, but it’s a challenging industry to understand. We’ve engaged them for a second project, so hopefully, we’ll see that improvement first hand.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend that new clients trust their approach. Some of their methods may seem unconventional, but I’ve seen these efforts yield excellent products. They also move quickly, so prepare your team to be involved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m CEO and cofounder of Scalar, our business is in I.T services across Canada. We deliver mission critical infrastructure security cloud and digital transformation services to large and mid-sized Canadian companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We were looking for a bit of a brand refresh. We’d grown a considerable amount and due to the amount of external business we were receiving, I decided to refresh our brand. I think it was key that they understood not what story we were looking to tell, but who we were and what we were all about.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with our digital marketing efforts. To find out more about our brand, they met a whole bunch of our employees and a bunch of our customers. They translated this into the look and feel of our website. They helped to build a brand for Scalar that was consistent with what our current clients, partners, and employees have come to expect. They did a whole bunch of digital transformation and enablement that allowed us to advertise online. This wasn’t just about content presentation, but about managing potential clients and employees. They also work on microsites for us.

How did you come to work with Filament?

We surveyed firms in the area. We wanted someone local. We looked at multiple firms around the marketplace, and Filament  was not the biggest, but they had very good reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $150,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Anecdotally, we get accolades all the time on our site. We’re one of the ighest growth companies in Canada. Our potential clients have already seen our site before we meet with them, or will check it out afterwards. It is important that our web presence has the opportunity to tell our story in a different way.  They’ve done a phenomenal job of secondarily telling the story of Scalar. We use a marketing techonology to help track our leads called Hubspot, which Filament has helped with.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always great. Fantastic from a scheduling perspective in terms of hitting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality and capabilities of the team. The level of interaction they had with us was always high. They didn’t take our requirements and go away and not speak to us in four months. It was an iterative process. That was very compelling. Their balance of creativity and pragmatism was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.
 

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the communications director for Figure3, a multi-disciplinary interior design firm. We have studios that design across 3 different sectors. We design for retail, corporate workplace, and high- rise, mid-rise, and low-rise residential development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

We had gone through a couple of fairly recent iterations of redeveloping our website, which had ended up being lengthy and costly. It wasn’t just my opinion that the website wasn’t doing what we needed it to and at the tail end of the most recent iteration of our website, the analytics were bearing this out also. It was operating essentially as a digital brochure as opposed to something akin to a free sales associate. The analytics told us that the user experience was confusing and disorienting with no clear direction for visitors.  We weren’t able to add users to our sales funnel or any kind of marketing sequencing. We came to Filament with a mandate: through various ways, we need our website to help us do the job of winning new work and demonstrating to clients across the 3 sectors that we have the right experience for the projects they come to us with. Sales conversations need to start with a human being and at a higher level than they typically are now. We want people to get their questions answered on our website and then pick up the phone or schedule meetings with us to begin talking in much more detail about the work they want to engage us for.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Apart from the fact that the website is still on WordPress, Filament has built it entirely from scratch. We wanted to add more video assets to our website as it’s a better way to tell the story of the way we think and how that can benefit the clients who come to us to solve their various spatial challenges. We wanted to use video to demonstrate the culture of our company to position us as a great place to work from an HR and a hiring perspective. We also wanted to leverage some of the great case studies we’ve done. Filament brought their video partner on board and project managed that whole process with us in a seamless and professional way. We’ve got some absolutely spectacular video content that I’m really pleased to be debuting on the site.

How did you come to work with Filament?

We have a client in common. We had done the interior design for an office for a company, and when I was given the go ahead and a budget to redevelop our website, I was hunting around some of the clients that we’d done work for to see who had great websites and Filament’s name popped up. They came forward with an incredible reference from Filament, so, we knew that if Filament had passed muster with them, we’d be partnering with a web development team and a content marketing team that were really excellent.  We had 5 companies and whittled that down to 3, but I’m prepared to be completely upfront in saying I was happy to hire Filament basically from the first phone call. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them January 2017 and have been working together since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The website that is live at the moment is the old website. It’s a complete departure from how that website operates. Filament has been able to create a much more elegant and sophisticated look and feel, which is a much closer representation of our brand. We like to think that we work with our clients well and that we are easy and fun to work with. We’ve had repeat business from multiple clients with a testament to who we are and how we work and we really want the website to reflect that in a very literal way and in a much more metaphorical way. The website has to be easy to navigate. It has to feel seamless. It has to feel like it’s anticipating your needs and getting you the information you’re looking for in quick and easy way because, we believe that kind of experience a user has on the website should match up with who we are and how we work with our clients. We solve problems that our clients didn’t even know to ask about exactly like the website will when it launches next week.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

The entire way through the process, we had access to the Founders of the company, Matt and Steve [Founders, Filament], which counts for a lot. Often in situations like this when you work with an agency, you meet the pitch team that then disappears but those are the people you had the chemistry with, who have really won you over with what they purport to be able to do for your company, and then you’re left with people you didn’t meet in those initial couple of meetings, and you feel a bit short changed. That didn’t happen with us at all at Filament. Matt and Steve [Founders, Filament] have been involved from the first meeting right through to the very last, and I can get a hold of them whenever I need to. It’s great to work with them. They work really hard on their company culture and it shows. Working with them is easy and fun. We can problem solve really quickly. They’ve handled challenging and difficult conversations with regards to us changing our mind or us wanting something new in a way that has felt friendly, easy, and completely seamless. It’s been a really great experience working both with Matt and Steve and every single member of their team. Their Project Manager, Sarah, [Project Manager, Filament] is outstanding in terms of keeping everyone on track. She is spectacular. She’s incredible and just a joy to work with as well. We started the work with an in depth discovery period at the beginning of the year, in mid-January, and we have kept to the schedule the entire way through. They’ve been very transparent about things like cost over runs. It’s really been a great process.

What distinguishes Filament from other providers?

One thing that always sticks out for me is Filament was the only agency that had clearly spent time creating a personalized approach to winning our work. They fought long and hard about who we are and what we do from the outside and at that point, they didn’t know us. So while it wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was obvious from the way they went about winning our business, that they didn’t have a singular way of doing thing. They showed us that they wanted to work with us to come up with the best solution incorporating what we know about our business and what they know about web development to come up with the best solution. When you see that level of customization and personalization, it’s incredibly memorable and really stands out. It does all the things it’s supposed to do. It made me certainly feel special. As the marketing director and the communications director, I’m the one backing these agencies and bringing them forward. There’s a risk on my part for bringing in a company that’s going to make me look stupid to the rest of the firm. I don’t want my leadership team questioning my decision so working with a company that can make me look good to the rest of the firm here counts for a lot.

Is there anything Filament could have improved or done differently?

Honestly, no. We’re working on budgets for next year now, and I’m going to fight hard to carve out budget so that I continue working with Filament. That’s testament to their integrity, their level of expertise, and how fun they are to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing at Educators Financial Group. We’re a financial services company that deals exclusively with the education community of Ontario – teachers, principals, staff and schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Filament?

Our website needed an overhaul, and we were looking to use the new site for lead generation. We wanted people to come visit our site, and drive them into a consultation sign up. We could start a discussion and eventually turn that into business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a new site from scratch. I am unsure of the technologies used to build it. Steve and Matt, the two principals, were very involved in our project. They created a lead funnel with the goal of getting people to commit to reaching out to us. We asked a series of questions to drive them into getting in touch with us.

How much have you invested with them?

$75,000 - $125,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around January of 2016, and launched the site in July 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a two year ROI goal that we were looking to hit, and at the end of year one we were able to achieve it. Our ROI goal was to increase lead generation by 250% to be able to pay back our cost in two years, and by year one we were ahead of our plan. Our goal for year one was increased lead generation by 70%; we hit 100% at the end of year one.

How did Filament perform from a project management standpoint?

I would say excellent. I found them to be organized and efficient. They have solid recommendations that have rationale behind them. They were instrumental in helping us tweak the website to enhance our lead funnel. They’re not afraid to push back in a good way, and I welcome that. At the same time, they’re good listeners. They are willing to hear us out and work with the feedback to make it satisfactory for everybody.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really had this sense of partnership. This was a company looking to make the best possible website to reach our firm's goals. What was most important was being able to recommend things with a rationale, having a dialogue and pushback when they felt strongly about an idea. But also, listening to our comments and incorporating feedback – you don’t see that very often.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This project was moving particularly fast - I think sometimes our team didn't understand what they were buying into or the implications of what we were doing. Maybe some education would’ve been helpful on why they were making certain decisions what implications those decisions would have. They assumed that that the knowledge level was higher in the organization than it actually was.