Meevo Digital

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a corporate training company that provides learning support services. We help clients find training through our digital training request management system. We also offer event planning for corporate training rollouts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Meevo Digital?

We needed to update our web platform. While the website is critical to our business, we were working off of legacy technology. We wanted to shift to mobile-first development and revamp our search directory.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was quite a big project. Our website—a powerful search engine for training—had been scratch-coded over the course of ten years.  They’ve basically transformed how we, as administrative users, manage the platform to interact with our clients and users.

The initial scope of their project was to shift the site into an MVC format. After we talked to them, though, they pitched us on recoding the entire platform—the administrative side, as well as the member and vendor pages.

They implemented a new search engine. While our past engine was an open-source SQL search engine, they moved us to a cloud-based search. Although we still use PHP on the frontend, they also moved us to a different library. Our frontend now relies on a new framework.

What is the team composition?

I only interacted with Mike (Technical Director, Meevo Digital) Tim (Managing Director, Meevo Digital) and Robert (Backend Developer, Meevo Digital). While I didn’t interface with their entire team, I know there were several developers involved in the project. At one point, we had one developer on their team that was dedicated to our project full-time.

How did you come to work with Meevo Digital?

I reached out to contacts who do development work as part of their business, and Mike was recommended to me. I met with him and gave him a couple of weeks to construct a concept. We decided to move forward with them after he showed us that he could quickly deliver.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending around $60,000 a year with them, and it’s been over two years. So I figure we’ve spent somewhere over $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2017 and the work is still ongoing.

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

Their decision to migrate us to a cloud-based search engine has greatly improved our search process, which is now instant and more flexible. That shift alone was extremely impressive because our search function has become quicker and more relevant. It’s saved us a lot of time and has facilitated our internal business processes.

How did Meevo Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. While most of their programmers are in Romania, they’re a Canadian company, and their founders are based there. From a PM perspective, it was great to deal with a local vendor that’s in our own time zone.

They were extremely accessible throughout our engagement. We’d communicate on Skype, and would hold weekly standups with Mike.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness was outstanding, and the communication was awesome. Compared to other developers I’ve dealt with, they were extremely quick to react and respond to issues. Since our business relies heavily on the smooth-functioning of our web platform, this has been critical.

Mike’s available on Skype all the time, so it’d never be more than 15–20 minutes before I hear back from him. It was really, really impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d appreciate if they used a client-facing workload tracker, like JIRA, so that we could see what tickets were being worked on, in real-time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Focus on the scope of work. Straighten out your user stories and your functionalities through wireframing, beforehand. It’s much easier for them to deliver what you want if you communicate your exact requirements.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the director of strategy for a creative communications agency. We’re a full-service agency that does everything from making TV spots to interactive and digital experiences.

What challenge were you trying to address with Meevo Digital?

We were trying to solve a client problem and needed to hire an external resource—as a white label service—to help us execute the concept.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We had a client with a corporate website and many sub-brands. We wanted to find a way to control those sites for the client. We decided to create a parent-child website structure with a bespoke CMS. Meevo Digital came on board to lead the project execution.

We were trying to figure out how best to implement the solution, and Meevo Digital determined the approach. They took an existing CMS and modified it. It’s an e-commerce site, so I believe Magento is incorporated. They then trained our developers and the client on how to use it so that moving forward we can actually use the CMS to manage the client's websites.

What is the team composition?

Timothy (partner and managing director, Meevo Digital) is our main point of contact. We worked with around 10 total resources. There was a project manager, a head of development, as well as several coders and QA specialists.

How did you come to work with Meevo Digital? 

We found them via word of mouth. I’d heard about them because they’re used by other agencies. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between August–November 2018. Total development time was probably only 4–8 weeks.

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

Our client is super happy. Thanks to Meevo Digital, we gave them a robust solution that they’re actually able to use. Not only do they have a bespoke end solution, but we taught them how to use it. Meevo Digital really helped us determine which platform to use and how to set up the CMS. Now the client can get their hands on it and not break it. The value from their work is clear because we surpassed the client’s expectations. Meevo Digital will probably be our first choice for external vendors when we win the next contract.

How did Meevo Digital perform from a project management standpoint? 

The workflow was pretty seamless. What's great was that Timothy was with us through the entire thing as our point person — having someone at a higher level than a project manager reassured us that they prioritized our project. He kept us in the loop on everything. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Meevo Digital was able to anticipate where we were going, especially from a design perspective. We had aspirations to try and do WYSIWYG design that wasn't required. They were great about telling us what is or isn’t feasible, and this is how we can make it work. They kept the design intent and the integrity of what we were trying to do intact. Sometimes with our own staff, we think if we can't get something done that we need to make changes to the design whereas Meevo Digital let us know if there was an issue and gave us the solution for it before it became a problem in development.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

There's nothing bad to report about them, which is why I would work with them again. If anything, I wish we'd pulled them in earlier. Instead of saying here’s a solution and how do we do it, they could have actually helped us further upstream. We might have ended up with something even better if they’d helped with the ideation and not just execution. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Really lean on their expertise. They're so solid that if you have a bit of an inkling for what it could be, they can actually make it much better. Sometimes we all get protective of our part of the pie but permit them to drive, and ultimately you'll get a better product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

FarmOrganica is an online organic food store and I am the President.

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

Web Development, Ecommerce Development

What were your goals for this project?

1. Refresh the look of FarmOrganica
2. Make it accessible across devices (mobile friendly)

How did you select this vendor?

We put out an RFP and received proposals from a handful of them. One of them was Meevo Digital. They proved to us that they had the expertise necessary to achieve our goals by scheduling calls and walking us through the proposal and coming in within our budget.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

1. Project Management—They managed the project from beginning to end.
2. Web Development for E-commerce—Were able to work with my back end Shopify to implement and create a new and improved mobile-friendly version of FarmOrganica

What was the team composition?

From FarmOrganica just myself, providing the copy, assets, etc. and communicating with their PM. PM on their end with a front-end & back-end developer and a QA person. (4 people in total)

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Since the re-launch of FarmOrganica, our conversion rate has increased, and the bounce rate decreased in particular for mobile devices.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

My understanding was that there was a team of 4 people working on my project. A Project Manager who was my point person. A front-end and back-end developer and a QA person. It was an efficient process as I only communicated with the PM who made sure the work was performed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their fast response time to my questions and changes. The attention to detail and quick turnaround times.

Are there any areas for improvement?

From my experience with the Meevo Digital team, there is nothing I could say that they could improve. They have surpassed my expectations and delivered a fantastic final product in the established timeframe.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Major Accounts of Formax Printing, an innovative company that delivers professional solutions for all graphic and printing needs.

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

I hired Meevo to develop a client portal to streamline our account management process with current customers.

What were your goals for this project?

To make it easier for existing customers to schedule print jobs, view delivery times, and download invoices, all while reducing our internal admin time.

How did you select this vendor?

Recommended by a friend who had previously used them for a similar project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed a portal for existing customers to be able to manage their accounts and print jobs. In this password-protected area a customer could schedule new projects, update personal information (name, phone number, email address, address, payment details), see the status of their current print jobs (scheduled, in progress, completed, out for delivery, delivered) and able to access invoices for previously completed jobs.

What was the team composition?

The day to day was managed by their project manager, however, while defining features and how this portal would work I met with the two owners directly.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

This has given us the ability to handle more orders at a time by cutting down on the amount of admin time previously involved.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I believe it was very effective, as before I engaged with Meevo on this project, I was overwhelmed on where to even start.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The didn't just deliver what I asked for, but more what our company actually needed. They took the time to understand our company and our processes so they could bring their own ideas to the table.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director and principal osteopath at Gresford Osteopathic Clinic, the largest osteopathic practice in Wrexham, Wales.

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

Website development services.

What were your goals for this project?

Informational website about my clinic.

How did you select this vendor?

I have known one of the owners for many years, and respect the work he and his team produce.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They took my old site and ascetic and produced a much cleaner and mobile-friendly site. All while staying true to my existing brand.

What was the team composition?

I dealt directly with one of the owners who oversaw the whole project

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

It meant clients could now access my website on their phones. Making it easier to find information and contact details.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

One point of contact, with everything being delivered on time and on budget. All on a quick turnaround too.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the account director at a large advertising agency based in downtown Toronto.

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

We use Meevo Digital for a variety of web development projects, from brochure-type sites to more complex e-commerce builds. 

What were your goals for this project? 

Our main goal is to deliver fully developed, pixel-perfect versions of the comps that our clients sign off on while still keeping aligned with our project vision. Meevo Digital delivers on this front time and time again.

How did you select this vendor?

My colleague who works at another agency also collaborates with Meevo Digital and referred me to them. I reviewed some of their work and was impressed. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail. 

They deliver fully-responsive websites that are always well-structured CMSs. We typically request for WordPress sites, though they’ve also advised us to use other options for more complex sites.  

What was the team composition? 

I deal directly with Timothy (Managing Director, Meevo Digital) who oversees the majority of the builds and serves as project manager. This is great as he interprets what we want to the developers and provides explanations on the process in layman terms.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Compared to our previous developers, Meevo Digital consistently delivers against our timelines. This has had a great impact on our business as it means that we can deliver on our client promises. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it? 

I have no complaints about their project management. We meet with Timothy regularly, and he gives us clear and precise updates. This gives us peace of mind and allows us to focus on other areas of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate how they act as a part of our team rather than hired help. They’ll bring concerns up even if it’s outside of the scope of work. For example, if they think the UX could be handled better, then they will flag it and provide a solution, which is much welcomed from our side.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything at the moment. So far, we feel that they’ve over-delivered on each project they’ve completed for us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Operations at a Tourism and Transportation Operator

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

To rebuild our online payment system process and to be our long term web partner in terms of web maintenance and enhancements.

What were your goals for this project?

To rebuild our online payment system as being able to accept online payments which is a huge part of our business, and for cards to be successful charge is vital. In addition to this, we had various other changes to the site to increase conversions.

How did you select this vendor?

Word of mouth/Recommendation

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They moved us away from our previous payment platform which was hurting our online sales. They build a custom solution, stripping our un-needed functionality and leaving us with a payment system tailored completely to our needs. This is an ongoing relationship and we continue to use them for our onine needs.

What was the team composition?

I deal directly with the owner of Meevo, who brought various team members to meetings when required.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Until Meevo rebuilt our payment platform we were losing many potential customers from failed payments. Now we have seen a greater uptake and increase conversion.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

No complaints. Meevo was an easy vendor to work with, so I would say it was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Meevo Digital is able to explain complicated ideas in an easily-understandable manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Currently, I have no areas of improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Furniture manufacturer, owner

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

I used them for multiple websites builds across my portfolio

What were your goals for this project?

Typically our goal is to have an online presence, which is engaging and easy to navigate. However some of the sites require something a little bit more, for example online bookings.

How did you select this vendor?

I found them online, after talking with them in person and reviewing some of their previous work I realized we would be a great fit.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Custom websites, so as not to look like an off the shelf template. I have a preference for my sites to be built in WordPress, which they are happy to accommodate.

What was the team composition?

I deal directly with their project/account manager, who works with the developers to deliver my visions.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The majority of the work they do for us has a positive impact on the business, from clear communicating my business to it making it easier for customers to book classes online.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I find the project management of the projects fantastic. Once I explain what I am looking for they provide a full work back schedule (which also keeps me accountable).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed in which they reply, and produce work. Sometimes I need to action changes quickly, and they are always on hand to assist.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that comes to mind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder and editor of a high-traffic news and educational site

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

To completely tear down and rebuilt the CMS and database of the site, involved dozens of different templates throughout

What were your goals for this project?

A faster, more efficient experience, goals met greater than could have ever imagined

How did you select this vendor?

Previously orked with vendor and saw first hand the quality of his work

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Revamp, recode, started the entire site from scratch. CMS, PHP, MySql

What was the team composition?

Just the vendor

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The efficiency of this build increased server speed and therefore increased traffic, server costs also went down considerably

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I dealt direct with the vendor, very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed and communication were impressive. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner of a printing company based in the GTA which specializes in commercial offset printing and digital printing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Meevo Digital?

Development of a new website based on my design

What were your goals for this project?

A new fresh looking website which was fully responsive.

How did you select this vendor?

Referral from a friend.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They took my designs and content and produced a fully coded responsive version.

What was the team composition?

I dealt directly with one of the owners who oversaw the whole project.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

It gave my company a whole new fresh professional look which was optimized for mobile.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Superb, they walked me through the whole process and everything was delivered on time and to the standard I expected (if not exceeded it).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their technical knowledge and willingness to listen to what I was looking for stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

100% happy with the service I received.