What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We used to be a gentlemen’s club before we allowed ladies in 2010, and Julian understands clubs. We weren’t interested in having a really swish website that did everything like booking accommodations and booking events, and Julian got that very early on.
All I wanted was an utterly professional, easy to manage, and easy to move around website. Our club's average age is 62, so it had to be user friendly for some pretty old members, and Julian got that very quickly.
He then came up with a design that inevitably had a sort of tennis competition, knocking it to and from to get the detail right. Eventually, we got there, and it was actually quite an easy process with him because he understood what we wanted. Julian and someone else came up here, and they showed my PA how to use the website. She is now very proficient at it because they got her trained properly from the word go.
Suffice to say, the members haven’t commented on it, which is good. Normally, they complain. Julian explained the need to have an adaptable and mobile-friendly system. He then changed it, and the members who had been complaining about not being able to use it on their phones have stopped complaining.
During the lockdown, as the club's chief executive, I had to arrange events for members on the website. Julian was very good, and some of them had to be done quite quickly. I would phone him up or email him and would ask him to get the lecture online as soon as he could. God only knows how he did it, but then the members could log in and look at a lecture online via the website. His turnaround with that was sometimes within minutes rather than the house.
From that point of view, during COVID-19, when the club was shut, he was very good indeed.
How did FJB Digital perform from a project management standpoint?
They are very good. My PA is on the phone with FJB Digital much more than I am. When she has forgotten how to do something when she is updating the website, she will phone them up, and she gets a very quick answer, so she is very happy with their team.
Julian is also very good at alerting us to a change. He will make recommendations that we update the website for a particular technical reason, not just the normal security things, which are very important.
If something is going on in the IT world, which is way over my head, he will recommend we change certain things because then we will be up to speed, and people with their phones will be able to do things which leave me standing. When it comes to reaction, he is very good, and on recommending changes, he is also very good indeed.
We had to have a simple system for my PA, who runs the day-to-day management of the site. She puts things on and takes things off, updates the menu, and stuff like that. Julian and his team had put that in place.
What did you find most impressive about them?
There’s no pressure working with FJB Digital. Julian is a charming chap. He is very keen to get one bit of work, which is to completely get our membership list, which is a very sensitive list because of the sort of club we are.
As it is very sensitive, we are worried about the security of it. He was very keen to do that work for us, but unfortunately, I went to another organization recommended to me, and I now slightly regret it because they have been quite slow. Once I gave Julian the decision, he didn’t bite my head off and was very good about it. He is a very good man, and they are a very good firm.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I needed an efficient system and responsive team, which I received with FJB Digital. Julian is proactive in telling us what we might have to consider to make sure that we are up to date with all of this modern stuff, and the key thing was the mobile phone changes.
I don’t think I would change anything, and there is nothing that has given me cause to complain.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Go to them. Compared to other firms we use, FJB Digital was significantly less expensive. The firm that deals with our physical IT, such as the hard drives and Wi-Fi wiring, is based in the middle of Edinburgh, which isn’t far from their offices.
The team at FJB Digital delivered to expectations, creating a professional and easy to use website. They're responsive, proactive, and transparent. Customers can expect an engagement with a personable and skilled team.