Flatline Agency

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of Lockster. We place parcel lockers at flats and offices. Besides making and placing the parcel lockers, we also facilitate and automate the delivery & sending process. Bundling all parcels from all carriers and delivering them together is more sustainable.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

We needed a new, good-looking, high converting website to get new leads, explain our product, brand ourselves that we could easily maintain self.

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

Personal connection and good PR.

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

Kick-off meeting to explain what our desires and goals were. After that, we decided to build a WordPress site for our goals. Designs were made and shared. The website was build. After multiple feedback rounds, Flatline explained everything and we where good to go.

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

4, Founder, Project manager, Designer, Developer

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

After launch, we saw a 70% traffic raise and more conversions than ever. Also, our SEO is better, and the site is capable to run ads on.

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

Their project management style is easy. You get what you ask for. As a non-technical founder, I would have appreciated a bit more advice on what works where. But after asking for help, Dylan mediately offered to do a call to discuss exactly this.

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

All you ask for, gets done. I love that working mentality in agencies.

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

As I said. If I have to mention something, I would advise providing more advice on what is working when speaking to non-technical clients.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of Medtesters, a medical service company focusing on health diagnostics.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatline Agency?

We used a German lab for our diagnostics, and we needed an API for it. Also, we needed a webshop.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatline Agency built our e-commerce site in WooCommerce from scratch, but they used certain templates. Also, they integrated a payment gateway, made the API for the lab, and attached it to our website. Now, people can access our site and view all the lab results online.

They designed the webshop. It started with information about products and then had specific pages for each type of health check or diagnostic package that users would like. Additionally, there was an option to log into an account.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with Dylan (Co-Founder), and there were 2–3 people on the team.

How did you come to work with Flatline Agency?

A friend recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €14,000 (approximately $16,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September–November 2021.

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

The solution has saved a lot of work for our staff. We usually had to access the results manually and then provide them to each customer. Now, they get an email saying their results are ready on our website, which saves a lot of time.

Overall, Flatline Agency’s work was excellent. It was a great experience.

How did Flatline Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They always kept deadlines and worked within our budget. We could call them any time of day, and they were always there for help and support.

We communicated over phone calls and email, but we also visited their office a few times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very personal and supportive. We could reach them at any time, including evening or early morning. Also, they were proficient. We always knew how many hours they’d do and how much it’d cost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there wasn’t anything to improve. It was a good experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have regular communication.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a video production company in the Netherlands. We do B2B commercial work for international clients, including a lot of branding content.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatline Agency?

We needed to develop our website about two-and-a-half years ago.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatline Agency helped us when we were still starting out. They developed a template-based website on WordPress, re-ordered the template according to our needs, and added some custom work for SEO. They also provided maintenance for the website.

Initially, we provided all the documentation for the project. Since we’re a video production company, we wanted the video to play instantly without any sound so people would immediately see our content when they visited our website. Additionally, Flatline Agency handled all the design work. All in all, the site was a simple one-pager with videos and some information.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two of the owners and another person.

How did you come to work with Flatline Agency?

I knew them personally from my network. We decided to partner up and exchange services — they created the website for us, and we did some video content for them.

How much have you invested with them?

We simply traded services and didn’t pay for anything. The website was worth about €2,000 (approximately $2,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around July 2019. They delivered about a month later.

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

Since the site was just a template-based page, we eventually had to move on from it as we grew in customers. Therefore, we’ve already grown beyond what they created for us and have a new web developer. 

We don’t have any metrics on their work because we didn’t build any Google Analytics into the website. It was too expensive for us to implement at the time. However, their efforts really helped us get started, and the website was the visual representation that we needed to show the world. Overall, the website was good, and their team pushed themselves to make the videos run quicker and more sharply. Eventually, the videos got buggy whenever we changed something — that’s when we decided to move on.

How did Flatline Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good. Our main demand was for the website to look nice and load quickly, and they delivered. Occasionally, they even made some improvements without us having to ask them, which was really nice.

We only spoke through email and phone calls, and they used a project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we worked with Flatline Agency, they weren’t as big as they are now, so they had a personal approach. We only spoke with 1–2 people, and they’d relay everything to the team. We always had one person discuss things with us, so the process was swift and easy. We could just text them with the changes we wanted to try, and they’d implement them.

The communication lines were concise, which made the whole process flexible. Moreover, it allowed us to see if something did or didn’t work so we could go back to the previous version. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve worked a bit on furthering their knowledge. They did exactly what we asked of them, but they didn’t tell us what we might need in the future. Therefore, the product worked really well for one or two years, but it was only for the moment. However, it probably wasn’t entirely their fault because we couldn't pay for that kind of website at the time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Potential clients should definitely ask questions about what they need presently and what can be developed for the future. If you ask for advice, they’ll give it to you. However, it’s difficult sometimes because it’s hard to ask for it if you don’t know what you need.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Chief Commercial Officer at OGER. Responsible for Retail, E-commerce, CRM & (digital) marketing. OGER is a leading menswear retailer within Benelux market.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

We hired Flatline to transform current E-commerce plaform, ERP and POS solution to a full 360 omni-channel solution for our markets.

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

We have selected them based on: core IT competences, flexibility, solution based thinking and entrepreneurial mindset.

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

The team of Flatline initially started a first discovery project based on identifying our needs, analyzing our current structure and processes. Than they started interviewing our heads of departments to get better deep insights in working structure regarding challenges and limitations. From there they started building the Shopify platform for Retail POS, Online and connecting other IT systems within our new wished Eco system.

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

6 to 8 people in sum. Their roles varies from: key account manager, developers, lead developer, owner and marketing.

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

After launch of the project we realised a growth in sales of +45%, increased time efficiency and less FTE working on core areas of the company (finance, merchandising).

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

Project management could described in the following way: 2- weekly meetings. Monthly evealuation and direct approach via different working methods tools: calling, e-mails, what's app in case direction was not clear.

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

We are impressed with their flexibility and deep knowledge of coding and systems to solve business problems with a commercial eye.

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

None.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the E-commerce Director for North Actionsports Group and we sell surfing sporting goods & equipment and apparel.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

We hired Flatline Agency for building a custom connector between our internal systems (ERP and PIM) and our newly built Shopify (E-commerce) platforms. The goal was to have data streams back and forth that were keeping all sorts of crucial E-commerce data updated in all systems.

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

Flatline Agency was recommended to us by our Shopify development agency AskPhill when we started our E-commerce project. Their track record in building connectors for Shopify was decisive in our choice for Flatline.

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

The scope of work was to connect our ERP and PIM systems to our Shopify platforms for automatically: - importing products into Shopify - importing stock levels into Shopify - importing price lists into Shopify - posting orders from Shopify to our ERP - posting return orders / refunds from Shopify to our ERP

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

There were 3 people from Flatline that worked on our project, 2 of the owners and 1 full stack developer.

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

The connector was delivered and is working properly.

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

I would describe the project management style as flexible and ad hoc, where Flatline was very flexible in picking up tasks on the go whenever they arised. Tools used were mostly Slack and Email. For this project there was no project management tool used like JIRA or Asana, which could have probably streamline the project a bit more.

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

They proved themselves to be flexible, knowledgeable, and pragmatic in finding solutions for technical challenges that arose.

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

Documenting the project scope and all of the requirements and tasks might be done a bit more thoroughly in more detail, to make sure all aspects of the solution that's to be built are clear and agreed upon. This prevents possible rework at the end of the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a consulting company. We're about 10+ people.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

We had to restructure our brand identity online and also our website. The second thing was we started a new totally differnt company and we needed a company to help us create a website and help us with the design. I've worked with Agencies before and normally they just invite you to a brainstorm you say what you want they are going to develop it and once they're finished you've product.

This always goes wrong, because they don't communicate correctly. With Flatline it was completely different, they're fast, good communicators and commercially focussed. So they try to understand the market, your position and help you create an identity and great product.

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

We came in contact via via when we were trying to choose a different agency for our new projects. We've spoken to some agencies and made a decision. Reason we chose Flatline Agency is because we liked their vision and from the first meeting they've helped to put pieces together.

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

They build and designed our new website and brand identity. First step figuring out what we want Second step sparring with us about the product Start building with us, having enough meeting to keep clear of the proces and bringing it to an end.

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

4 CEO Founder Project manager Designer/Developer

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

Still launching / first overall feedback very positive

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

Clear and clean. Don't know the names of the tools but they worked *figma I think one of them

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

We're impressed with their communication, readiness, support, and eye for detail.

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

Not right now

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an owner of IT services company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

Flatline agency where hired to provide the solution and its development for central dashboard application. The goal of the project was to centralize the online and the offline data logistic between all the marketplaces by providing single work interface for all company platforms.

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

Working with Flatline agency for the last 2 years made the selection choice easier.

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

Back-end database optimization Front-end design & data utilization of all marketplaces Auto scaling servers solution Project management & communication Technologies used: nodeJS / React

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

4 People from the vendor's team: Project manager, developers and the Co-founders.

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

After lunching the application the production and sales increased every month by 5 to 7%

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

Main communication line between project managers while status and updates meetings with all the team from both side; Flatline agency and client.

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

Flatline Agency provided complete custom solutions for our client's needs. They provided a scalable backbone for future developments. Optimizing the the front-end to be user friendly while not compromising the interface functionalities.

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

Not sure if there are any improvements comments regarding the project and delivery but we will be glad to see Flatline agency providing solution for future 3rd party application adjustments connected to the dashboard platform.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an analyst at a corporate finance firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatline Agency?

We needed help setting up a professional website for our business that could help us attract investors.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatline Agency did web development for us. We started by providing documentation and information that the Netherland’s law requires on a site. After that, we showed them a few examples of what we wanted in terms of content and layout — we’re a fintech acquisition company, so we needed it to look futuristic. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Robin and Dylan (Co-Founders) in the beginning stages of the project. After that, we worked with Lars (Project Manager) to expand the website.

How did you come to work with Flatline Agency?

A colleague of mine brought them to the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €10,000–€20,000 (approximately $11,300–$22,600 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–December 2021, but we can still call them whenever we need any amendments.

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

We achieved everything we wanted to do with them — the site is accessible to everyone who needs to access it. Also, people told us that the site that Flatline Agency delivered looks professional, it’s functional, and has all the required features.

How did Flatline Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were outstanding! We could reach out to them at any time of the day, including weekends. We’d just give them a call, and they’d go ahead and arrange everything for us — that was very important for us.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their professionalism and responsiveness were impressive; they made themselves available for anything I needed, which is helpful for a non-technology background person like me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on the precision at the first execution of the deliverables; they provided exactly what we wanted, but there were minor details and typos at first. It wasn’t that much of a problem because we had time to check it, and they solved it quickly, but they could pay more attention to the tiny details. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Start by jumping on a call with them so they can get a clear idea of what you want them to do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a digital marketing agency that’s based in Amsterdam.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatline Agency?

We needed someone who could help us provide better marketing solutions to our clients. We engaged Flatline to help us rebuild dysfunctional or misaligned websites for our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatline typically starts with the website design, after which we’ll have a feedback session with the customer. If everybody likes the work, Flatline will move on to build the backend. 

The very first website they’ve built for us was in Python, but now we’re mostly using WordPress and Shopify.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is the project manager, Dylan (Co-Founder). We work with one frontend developer and two backend developers.

How did you come to work with Flatline Agency?

Dylan and I got to talking to each other while we were on holiday. I mentioned that I had a marketing agency, so we stayed in touch in case we would need each other’s help in the future. We immediately contacted them when this need arose.

How much have you invested with them?

Across all of our client projects, the total cost of their work so far is between €200,000–€500,000 (approximately $225,000–$563,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Flatline around May 2020, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

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

We’ve gotten satisfied customers from the moment we started collaborating with Flatline.  

How did Flatline Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re ahead of the schedule almost all the time, which is amazing. If there’s a problem at midnight, we can still call them and get a solution. 

We use Slack for communication. Flatline also has a project management tool in place, so we can always have an overview of the project and its timelines. They have a scrum master who meets with us regularly and sets up two-week sprints. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a team that practices what they preach; they work fast to deliver what they’ve promised. Their design work is also very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could do differently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to give them a call. They react really fast.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO. We help brands to grow en scale their business with marketing and innovation.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatline Agency, and what were your goals?

We needed a new website for our agency. Since we didn't have in-house developers to invest in a new website, we hired this team to design and develop a WordPress site for us.

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

We already know the agency via our network. We chose them on their past projects and cost estimate.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. From there, the team delivered mock-ups and wireframes for our site. The designs looked great right away. They listen carefully to your wishes. The team designed and developed the WordPress website.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process. There were also 3 full-stack developers and a designer working behind the scenes.

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

Flatline Agency built our website for our new company. We were able to welcome our first customers very quickly. A lot of work has gone into the design and CRO. Our services are well presented on the website and we have already achieved the first conversions.

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

We had a weekly update session on the progress and next steps. In addition, we had a lot of contact in the meantime to make adjustments where necessary. They were very proactive in their communication. We used Slack and Notion to coordinate, and they worked well with our team.

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

They had a lot of good ideas for the website, so they were not only busy with development but also liked to think along.

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

No, nothing at all.