Helios Design

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) is a full service law firm - one of the largest business law firms in South Africa, with more than 350 lawyers and a track record spanning over 167 years. I am the Head of Marketing & Communications

For what projects/services did your company hire Helios Design, and what were your goals?

We hired Helios to refresh our website following the ending of an alliance with another law firm. At the time we were also refreshing our brand and logo, and needed to strongly and quickly position ourselves amongst global professional services organizations.

A huge part of this refreshed positioning was the need to create a user friendly, innovative, navigable website, which Helios delivered with expertise, insight, and efficiency.

How did you select Helios Design and what were the deciding factors?

Helios Designs is one of CDH's long term suppliers and as such we have an established and trusted work relationship due to their excellent client service and delivery. Their expertise in the professional services market is deep and insightful, so they were the natural choice.

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

We had a kick off meeting, thereafter we received a detailed project plan from Helios. The project plan was very easy to understand and although we made requests for changes along the way, Helios was agile and able to meet our requirements.

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

Two team members worked with us, namely Ichizu, Project Manager & Co-Founder at Helios and Taka, Software Engineer & Co-Founder at Helios

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

We have seen a higher traffic volume to the site, which in turns has significantly added to the strong showing of our refreshed brand. Clients gave let us know that the site is easy to navigate and engaging.

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

Helios are excellent communicators, clear and concise. They are engaged, alert, and invested in our projects at all times. We followed a project plan which was agile enough to receive changes yet powerful enough to guide us to the excellence of the refreshed website.

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

Helios provided a seamless service, and we felt completely safe in their capable hands. This is so important when running projects that have critical importance to positioning a firm such as ours in a such a competitive market. I would say that our trust is the most impressive element of our relationship with Helios. They have never let us down.

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

No, I am very satisfied with their service, and client engagement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I worked with Helios for many years while I was Senior Online Communication Manager at DLA Piper, the world's largest law firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire Helios Design, and what were your goals?

Helios was initially hired to develop audience-specific microsites, such as a careers site for graduates. Their impressive qualities and technical expertise meant they were subsequently commissioned to create technically complex, interactive bespoke client tools and also mobile apps. Several of the their projects won awards.

How did you select Helios Design and what were the deciding factors?

Helios were selected for their design skills, value for money and the quality of materials during the selection process.

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

Helios use OpenCMS and provided end-to-end services on all projects, from high quality proposals to post launch suggestions for continuous improvement (which makes them unique in my experience).

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

This varied across projects but the technical lead and project/design lead (the co-founders of Helios) were fully engaged in every project and at every step.

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

Helios deliver outstanding work, which is why so many stakeholders in the firm requested sites and why Helios were commissioned to build so many projects.

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

Helios know how to work with partner-owned professional services firms and adapt their project management style accordingly. This means having to be flexible enough to meet challenging deadlines at short notice and at the other extreme, await required content or input that is long overdue from the client whilst politely making them aware of the implications of delay. Their communication is excellent and their timelines realistic.

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

They give 110%. The quality of their work and attention to detail is second to none.

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

They are simply the best agency I've ever worked with.