Northern Commerce

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director for consumer marketing at Cineplex Entertainment, which is one of the biggest movie exhibitors in Canada. We have 165 movie theaters and 13 location-based entertainment venues called the Rec Room and Playdium. Our company also has a digital product called the Cineplex store. I oversee our brand, film marketing, store marketing, analytics, and media planning. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Northern Commerce?

The previous agency we had was too large for our budget and needs. Being a largely digital e-commerce organization that sells tickets online, we needed a team that could support our media planning and buying.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially debriefed Northern Commerce on the various components of our brands and store business. When they came on board, they immediately realized that we didn’t have the necessary tracking component to properly measure the impact of our media campaign on our business. 

As a result, as they were starting to plan and execute our media strategy for the quarter, they were simultaneously working on the backend with our development and technology team. Implementing proper tracking features, they aimed to help us understand how much we should spend for an individual to buy our tickets in relation to how much we’d make after their purchase. 

At present, we continue to brief Northern Commerce on a quarterly basis based on our upcoming initiatives that have similar parameters around targeting, objectives, and markets. They then deliver strategic plans in response to our briefs. Around 80% of what they’ve done for us so far focuses on media strategy and execution. Beyond that, they’ve helped us move away from Google Ad Manager and switch to Adobe Launch. That way, our organization can leverage one source of truth.

What is the team composition?

We work with 10–12 people from Northern Commerce, including Corey (Partner & VP of Strategy), Sarah (Account Director), Meaghan (Marketing Project Manager), and Kyle (Director of Paid Media). Our group works with their VP on large strategic conversations; other team members include media buyers, coordinators, and project managers.

How did you come to work with Northern Commerce?

We did an extensive RFP that we sent out to around nine media agencies. Out of those nine teams, Northern Commerce was best aligned with our business needs and had the most experience in the digital space to help grow our e-commerce business. They responded to our RFP with an extensive, strategic, and well-thought-out plan.

How much have you invested with them?

Including fees and media dollars, our investment has been upwards of $5 million CAD (approximately $3.9 million USD). The total is between the $5 million–$10 million CAD (approximately $3.9 million–$7.8 million USD) range. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

We’re now much more targeted, effective, and efficient with our ad spend. Quarter over quarter, we see our ROAS (return on ad spend) increase more than 10%–15%. In other words, Northern Commerce has been crucial in ensuring that we obtain more marketing dollars than before — we’re able to justify our ROAS unlike before.

Our team continues to spend more and give Northern Commerce more work because they’re such a valued and smart partner. They’ve been instrumental in ensuring our dollars work harder for us than they previously did. 

How did Northern Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

Northern Commerce is a great project manager. They’re always on top of everything and provide us with holistic work schedules for a year based on each of our campaigns. Even when our marketing team drops the ball, their team ensures that we deliver what they need for the success of our organization. Overall, the Northern Commerce team makes sure that things get done all in the name of supporting our business. They’re fantastic project managers, and they keep us in line. 

In terms of tools, their preferred project management platform is Basecamp. To communicate, we use email and Zoom. When we have meetings and higher-level strategic conversations, we use Zoom and  Basecamp. Our biweekly calls are also done through Zoom. When we have to go back and forth on specific campaign-based tactics, we do everything within Basecamp so that managers can track conversation threads and feedback. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a strong knowledge of the digital space. They’ve started out as an e-commerce organization and evolved that business to include media buying and planning. They leverage their knowledge of the digital space to be more strategic from a media standpoint. 

Moreover, Northern Commerce is forward-thinking. They’ve helped pivot digital strategies and build e-commerce platforms from scratch for big clients. Our organization needs this level of support. Overall, they’ve come in as an extension of Cineplex; they’re not just a partner — they feel like they’re a part of our organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. The relationship has been truly transparent, mutually beneficial, and respectful. They bring new opportunities that benefit our organization from an efficiency perspective. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Northern Commerce. When working with an agency, other companies tend to micromanage, dictate, and handhold the team. However, Northern Commerce members are experts in their fields — that’s the reason we’ve hired them. I don’t pretend to know anything remotely close to the extent that they do. 

As a result, I give them my trust. I tell them our problems and discuss our desired outcomes, and they come back to us with their recommendations. I’m hands-off for the most part because I know they’re capable. Overall, if you don’t micromanage and completely trust their skillsets, you’ll get the most out of them as a partner. That’ll help you as an organization. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Parasource Marketing and Distribution Canada. We distribute religious Christian materials to the general market through Amazon. We also sell to individuals through our website; churches also buy there. Our group also has a wholesale department where Christian bookstores buy products from us to have in their product offering.

What challenge were you trying to address with Northern Commerce?

We hired Northern Commerce for their marketing and advertising services. They’re also updating and maintaining our website. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the engagement, we had a meeting with Northern Commerce about Facebook and Google. We were figuring out how we could find more potential sales on a direct basis. Their answer was for them to manage a budget for us. 

At present, they’re still doing that. They tell us when we need ads for any upcoming events or holidays. They don’t come up with content or visuals — that’s our job — so we’re the ones who produce the ads’ content. Moreover, Facebook’s and Google’s algorithm helps us reach more clients who are interested in our products or the topics that our books cover.

For web development, we’re using Magento 2.4, and Northern Commerce has done at least a couple of upgrades for us. We’ve also asked them to make modest changes to the original structure of our website. In the next couple of years, we’re planning to completely overhaul the website. We also have strategic discussions with the team for them to keep a pulse of our requirements in the coming months. 

Moreover, they provide maintenance services for us. We have an in-house teammate who handles day-to-day Magento tasks, such as turning things on or off or updating the site’s copy. However, we let Northern Commerce handle structural changes to the site such as updating product pages. 

What is the team composition?

I deal with a couple of people from Northern Commerce. On the development side, I have a point person that answers my development-related questions. I also have a sales contact from their team; when they give us a quote, the quote goes through this person first. In total, I deal with three distinct departments from them and talk to at least five people. 

How did you come to work with Northern Commerce?

I did some research as we were looking for Magento experts. At that time, we felt that the original developers of our website weren’t experts in the said platform. Then, I found Northern Commerce’s website and started discussions with them. Quite honestly, I enjoyed the dry humor of their website. Based on the awards that they’d already acquired, I could tell they knew what they were doing. 

We also talked to other companies. What sold us to Northern Commerce was the fact that they were close to us — their developers were all in Canada; they were accessible. They were also personal and realistic about our situation. As a result, we gained a degree of confidence in them. We then visited their offices, giving us a chance to see and breathe the air they breathed. That was the beginning of our partnership. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve been investing $500,000 per year on the website. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to them in October 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

In terms of quantitative metrics, Northern Commerce provides us with an overall report of our performance. We often see 5X return on ad spend (ROAS), which is quite encouraging. Every week, we see a number of new accounts being opened; we also see a lot of repeat customers, and that’s truly exciting for us as a company.

They’ve been managing our accounts for a year and a half now, and our success has been excellent. In fact, I plan to talk to them about increasing our budget if there’s more room to grow. This isn’t something most people do, but I want to spend more if it means we can get more returns. Simply put, we’ve experienced growth since working with them. 

Moreover, the team is professional. They have conservative but true projections, and in a sense, everything they’ve predicted has come to fruition. Their resources have been exceptionally good to work with, and they’ve exceeded expectations. It’s what any development company should be doing. 

How did Northern Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

Northern Commerce’s project management has been good. There have been some delays, but I don’t pin those on incompetence. For instance, we’ve had to wait for things because of a holiday such as the Christmas season. Moreover, the team generally has a straightforward communication style — they’re great in this regard. 

To manage our projects, they use Basecamp. If I need something, I can create a new task or follow along with our progress. We also have weekly Zoom meetings about our progress and everything else. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills are their strong point. I talk to them more than I do with any other suppliers. We often have 15-minute calls where we get updates and ensure everybody is caught up with our progress. If we have questions or issues, they investigate them. If I forget to do something, they nudge and remind me about it. Overall, they’re great at this — they push me as much as I push them. 

On top of that, Northern Commerce accomplishes the job. When we spend money on advertising, the ads should do what they’re expected to do. That’s where the rubber meets the road — we have to make revenue. In simple words, we still don’t know how much we’re not getting in terms of revenue, but we’re certainly earning a lot more now than we previously did. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had delays before because there aren’t enough hands to do the work. Maybe they’ve experienced turnover. Nonetheless, this is both a good and bad problem to have. I also appreciate the level of care and concern that they give us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start your project with Northern Commerce; don’t start with someone else just to get a lower price. If you’re going to work on a website, real commitment is needed — so you should work with people who are willing to work with you. 

In our experience, our website was originally handled by a team that wasn’t a Magento expert. As a result, we may still be experiencing some of the ramifications of their work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: We’re an organization that consists of a hospital and a healthcare foundation. My role is the coordinator for communication and public affairs on the hospital side.

Respondent 2: I’m the marketing and communication manager for the foundation, working jointly with my partner at the hospital. Whereas the hospital delivers care to the local region, the foundation generates community support and revenue to fund equipment and programs that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Echidna?

R1: The hospital and the foundation used to have their own independent sites that were very out of date. Rather than just update them, we took that opportunity to merge the sites together as a business decision. 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

R2: Digital Echidna developed a single, integrated site that represented our hospital and foundation. We began the project by giving Digital Echidna a discovery document outlining our business needs. 

They then mapped out the framework and scope so that we could estimate the cost and time requirements. We went through a series of meetings to negotiate the estimates and also looped in our design firm.

From there, Digital Echidna created the site. They used our design firm’s wireframes and site skin along with our documentation to put together a complex final product.

What is the team composition? 

R1: There were four people, including Sarah (Account Manager), Rachel (Project Coordinator), Tove (Senior Project Manager), and Travis (Programmer). Each person’s responsibilities were very clear.

How did you come to work with Digital Echidna?

R1: They came to us from multiple directions. Digital Echidna is a prominent firm in our area, so they have quite the reputation. They’d built the site for our colleagues at the hospital, and they’d created the site a community volunteer board that our foundation president is on. 

Also, my partner and my leader had also worked with Digital Echidna in the past, so they were familiar with their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

R2: The project lasted from February 2019–June 2020.

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

R2: We just launched at the end of June, so we don’t have our first set of metrics yet. But, now that we have one integrated site, we’re able to create new metrics and KPIs to measure the success of our efforts. 

We’re currently in the benchmarking process, working to identify the KPIs that we should monitor and optimize. That’s something the Digital Echidna pushed us to think about near the end of the project. 

How did Digital Echidna perform from a project management standpoint?

R2: To manage the workflow and ongoing edits, they used Airtable, which allowed us to share items in real-time and speak to the developers. We really leveraged ongoing communication with all stakeholders involved toward the end of the project, just to make sure everyone was aware of the site status.

Each week, we would have a Zoom call with Tove to capture the minutes, outcomes, and actions from our meeting. That was a great way to track the project, and it allowed us to understand if there were gaps in the process. 

It was complicated because we were trying to launch the site during a pandemic and we faced some internal challenges, too. Despite that, Digital Echidna kept calm and was considerate about the challenges we were experiencing. We were able to lean on them as a constant because they were always flexible, dependable, and reliable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: I really enjoyed working with Tove — she was just someone we could trust. Every time I got worked up about something, she always remained calm and gave me an answer. If she didn’t know something, she would find out. 

It felt like anything was possible because Tove never said no to a suggestion. Instead, she would encourage us to explore it to see what we could do. She was such a quick problem-solver.

While I didn’t work as directly with Travis, I really enjoyed collaborating with him. He had this ability to take complex concepts and functions, simplify it, and then articulate it to us. That was helpful for me and my team who might not have as robust of an understanding of backend development. He made our planning sessions so meaningful.

R2: I’d also add that they had specialization in our industry. Having worked on similar projects, they were able to apply what they’d learned to our site to help us through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R2: We had to ask them around testing and execution for mobile devices. These days, websites need to be accessible on mobile, especially for our patients who are trying to get here. So, I was curious about how they were looking at mobile-first technology, just so that we could make sure a feature was usable on a phone or tablet.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R2: It’s good to know where they excel because they’ve done a lot of projects in certain sectors. Their pedigree is one of the best digital companies in the world, which means their services come at a premium. But what you get back is worth it.

You should try to involve their president early on, too. He added a lot of value to our project while we were outlining the scope of work. Bringing in the president to walk us through what to expect reassured us about the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of program effectiveness at the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) in Toronto, Canada. Our company is responsible for worker compensation claims in Ontario.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Echidna?

We encourage Ontario employers to opt into our health and safety management system as part of our program to prevent workplace injuries. We wanted to make that system as administratively light as possible so that businesses could spend more time building safety practices in their workspace.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Digital Echidna has helped us digitize our health and safety program by creating our management system. It’s a voluntary program where businesses can sign up, take a high-level survey of their safety maturity, and then go through a custom list of competency trainings based on their company needs.

From there, businesses can upload videos or documented proof of them conducting training sessions with their staff. We then reimburse them for the premiums paid into our compensation system and provide them with digital badges.

Digital Echidna uses open source platforms like Acquia and Drupal to build the system. Not only are those technologies used in the States, but they also allow us to run our program without relying on hardcoded items. This keeps us nimble enough to pivot to our customers’ needs.

What is the team composition? 

The structure is fairly fluid. I work primarily with four individuals and love the relationship that we have. There’s a lot of laughs and fun because there’s no need to stay serious all the time. It’s collaborative, open, and transparent.

How did you come to work with Digital Echidna?

Our public affairs and communications department was already working with them and recommended Digital Echidna to us. We needed them to get our project working within a short amount of time and knew that they were well-received with similar organizations around the world.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the range of $500,000–$700,000 CAD (approximately $380,000–$530,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on this project around July 2019 and were able to launch the first release within 80 business days. Before that, they’d supported our website rebuild. We’re still in a long-term agreement with them to continue our brand and bring health and safety into pop culture. 

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

Because we digitized our safety resources and launched the program so quickly, we’ve been able to maintain our program throughout COVID-19. We continue to see businesses in Ontario enrolling into the program as a commitment to health and safety. To date, 19,000 employers (about 700,000 employees) have joined the program. 

That just goes to show that our program resonates with people, given that health is front and center due to the pandemic’s impact. It’s a clear public value that we’re providing to our province. As companies mature their practices, we expect to see our program saving lives.

How did Digital Echidna perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very versatile and nimble compared to traditional project management styles. We actually had to catch up to their speed, so that was a lesson learned for us.

The team adopts an agile approach, encouraging us to iterate on our solution so that we can bring value by doing what we can. We can always add additional features to meet customer needs as the solution evolves. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital echidna never gets rattled. We can be demanding at times because we know what we want and ask a lot of them. But, when we present them with a challenge or an issue, they never get negative about it. 

Instead, they try to think about what we can do currently, knowing that what we really want to do might be further down the road. That outside-the-box thinking pushes them to find solutions that are available to us rather than just saying no to an idea.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a smaller company with websites and digital marketing as their bread and butter. But, a system like ours is more transactional in nature, so it’s not a one-and-done effort. They’d need to engage with the customer and end users more frequently. That’s not to say that they don’t already do that. It’s just a matter of building scalable support around their platforms.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open about new approaches, especially now with the need to pivot on a dime. In some organizations, people might have their own biases toward how things should be done, which might not jive with Digital Echidna’s more agile approach. That can be a cause of frustration for some.

Knowing that your approach might not always be the best and understanding that your solution partner might know how to get you to your goals quicker are important.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of the Canadian Alliance of Audiology and Speech Pathology Regulators. We work on harmonizing regulatory policies across Canada.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Echidna?

We received a large federal grant to help us create foreign equivalency application review and assessment, as well as to develop a common entry to practice examination. From there we needed a partner to help us develop a technical solution to register candidates who were applying for equivalency review and exam eligibility.

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were two deliverable fronts, one of which was building out a new website for the organization, and the second of which was the registration portal that allowed for submitting and verifying education credentials and other documents. They integrated that portal into the new site and made sure that everything was up and functioning properly.

There is also an access point in the backend of the portal for our directors to access the documents so that it serves as the documentation management system for our organization as well. As part of that, they made sure that the system was totally secure to protect the information.

What was the team composition?

There were three members of their team in the main group working with us.

How did you come to work with Digital Echidna?

We went through an official tender process because of the rules of the federal contract, and Digital Echidna was the best bid that we received so we decided to move forward with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial contract was or about $26,000, and we ended up spending about $30,000 with them in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2018 and have an ongoing service agreement with them to continue fixing bugs and making improvements to the site now that it is already launched.

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

From a success standpoint, the website and portal went live on May 1st, which we were very pleased about. On top of that, out of the 100 hours we had allocated to fix bugs and make improvements to the system, we’re only at about 20–30 of those hours used up. That goes to show how well built the initial product was and how little difficulty we’ve had cleaning up any issues we’ve found.

We have applicants in the system now who are being processed, and we use responsiveness metrics that we use to measure our ability to keep things running smoothly for those users. Right now, that stands around an average of 25 hours to solve any issue, which we are totally satisfied with.

How did Digital Echidna perform from a project management standpoint?

Our management of the project took place over normal document sharing platforms online, but we didn’t use any specific project management tools to keep track of all of that. We communicated via Zoom to make sure that we could meet face to face and get everyone on the same page on a regular basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are always incredibly responsive with email, action items, and fixes to any issues that we presented to them. No matter what you can bring to them, their team is committed to not only solving the issue but to giving you a timeline that you can expect them to adhere to in presenting you with the solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we were going through the process of training less IT-familiar individuals, I think they could use with slowing down that training process pretty significantly. I’ve raised that with them already and they are working to improve and keep in mind that many employees are not as well versed in the basics that they need to grasp the more complex parts of those tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had a lot of preliminary discovery meetings where we worked together to really fully understand the technology that we wanted and what our expectations were. I would recommend focusing on that stage of the project, and then from there making sure that your change requests are organized so that Digital Echidna is able to work through them.

They are more than capable of making continued progress on your product, but it is important to prioritize and give them what you really want so that they know what you’re looking for beyond just that initial planning stage of the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a publicly-funded college in Ontario, Canada, and I am the digital experience manager. I am responsible for the college’s website and online presence generally.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Echidna?

The college’s website was quite old and had originally been built on a platform that was no longer supported by its vendor. We wanted to address both a technology need and a marketing need by revamping the site to give us added functionalities and put us more in line with our competitors.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with their team to rebuild our website from the ground up. That started with a discovery process to try to understand exactly what our audience’s needs were and what were our main objectives for the project.

From there, we went into a design phase where they put together a new look and feel based on the research they had done, and we provided feedback until we reached a final mockup. After that, they handled all of the technological development on Drupal 8.

What was the team composition?

I joined the project just over a year ago, so I’m not entirely sure how many people have touched it since the beginning, but the core team that I’ve been working with over the last year has been around eight members of their team.

We have a project manager and an account manager on their side who have helped to organize all of our communication and make sure that people are being tasked with the right things based on our priorities.

How did you come to work with Digital Echidna?

From what I understand, there was a formal RFP process, and after vetting Digital Echidna’s proposal, the team at the time decided to bring them on board.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around June 2017, and we are continuing to work together.

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

All of the metrics that we had originally been going off of existed in the pre-COVID world, so as we’ve tried to meet this new environment, we are mostly looking for their continued commitment to the project.

In that regard, we have been very happy with the level of support and reassurance that they have provided to us simply by staying the course and continuing to make progress toward our goals despite all of the circumstances.

How did Digital Echidna perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management tool that we have been making use of for the development phase is called Airtable, and we have had a lot of success using that. It has given us the visibility that we needed to really understand what was going on and how we were performing, especially in such challenging times.

On their end, they use JIRA and other tools to keep everything as organized as possible, but we have kept all of our interactions relatively streamlined by limiting them to Airtable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team really is invested in the success of the project and the overall relationship. In comparison with other vendors in their sector, they demonstrate far more of a genuine mindset of partnership than we had ever encountered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since the project has been going on for a little while now, we have had some turnover in the team working on it. That hasn’t damaged the project at all, but it has made our ability to draw on institutional knowledge of the development process a little bit more challenging.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them be the experts because they have a huge wealth of expertise and experience in what they do. It can be easy to frame things from the perspective of how your business has always done them, but it really pays off to place a bit of faith in their process and be flexible to their recommendations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a physiotherapy association, a registered non-profit organization. We have been serving its 2,600+ members for 75 years.

As the voice of our members, we ensures members have access to practice support, professional development and advocacy avenues to provide opportunities for people to receive quality care that keeps them moving for life. We represent our members to government, health authorities, insurers, other stakeholders and the public. I am the Marketing and Creative Services Manager

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

We needed an updated, redesigned, better managed and manageable website to help us increase the level of service offered to our members and the public.

What were your goals for this project?

The new website needed to replicate certain functionality from our old site but improved upon. Certain technical functions needed to be more advanced and more intuitive for both the backend users (members portal) and the general public.

This included enhanced cart settings and products, an indexable and searchable Knowledge Centre. Also, a redevelopment of the Find-A-Physio/Clinic functionality to allow members of the public to search for a physio. This needed to be integrated with Google Maps

How did you select this vendor?

Our CEO had previous experience working with Digital Echidna and therefore made the decision to work with them a simple one.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

DE needed to take certain aspects of the old website and redesign the UX and the UI to complete the project. A redevelopment of the Find-A-Physio/Clinic has been an ongoing task since the new website launch and DE have continued to improve on this. They have provided us with options around solutions and have implemented these in a timely manner.

The enhanced cart and products were a vital part of the website. DE has ensured that both the portal users and our staff members are able to easily manage, edit, deploy and archive items following internal PABC processes. They have made this process as seamless as possible taking into consideration our internal workflows and web development best practices

What was the team composition?

We have had a stable group of developers and project managers who have continuously been available for troubleshooting and technical support.

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

The new look and feel of the website as well as the increased technical functionality have been extremely well received by staff members, portal users and general members of the public. We have noticed a significant shift in user behavior showing that these improvements have been much needed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management team has been extremely effective, supportive and receptive to needs and ideas. They have offered advice yet also made sure our needs and requirements were met.

It took a little bit longer than expected to receive user manuals specific to our site but the team made sure they were available to answer and support technical queries. They are efficient and courteous.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have offered and continue to offer a high level of service and support. They have remained efficient and courteous throughout the whole project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were a few items mentioned in the proposal that we have had to ask for since the project went live. This had to do with a shift of staff members on our end needing these items.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a motorbike company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Northern Commerce?

We needed to increase the speed of our site and work through challenges on it. It was very important to us that we be able to sell motorcycle parts online. We worked on improving the speed on our website with other vendors, but it was only better for a week. It felt like we were in a constant cycle of moving backward. We hired them because of their specialty in e-commerce, in particular, their Magento expertise.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Northern Commerce started working through our challenges of building a Shopify plugin and completely redesigning our website. They did several different Magento plugins and rework to customize different integrations that way.

Currently, we’re working on transitioning our Magento 1 (M1) site to a Magento 2 (M2) site. We are working together to integrate our POS system and we are doing a Canadian post-integration. They are putting a lot of new features on our website, so they are integrating all of that data.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Mitch (Marketing Account Manager, Northern Commerce) and our project manager.

How did you come to work with Northern Commerce?

We originally found them online. After discussing, we went to visit and meet the people we would be working with face to face.

How much have you invested with them?

So far we have spent $50,000, but it's estimated to be $120,000–$150,000 from start to finish.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019 and the relationship is currently ongoing.

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

We have definitely received fewer customer complaints about speed and pricing glitches. We have also experienced a 20% gain and are expecting to see more growth this year. This has been a significant change from previous years when our numbers were flat.

How did Northern Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been really nice and flexible. We use Basecamp to keep tickets organized and everything in one place. Some things are easier to keep in email, so we always use that. They've worked through our needs to find the best solution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are responsive when there is a problem and they aren’t dismissive about it or place blame. They immediately deal with the problem. Throughout the process, they have been accommodating and organized. It is really nice that they take care of the whole picture. They tell us they value our business and like making it successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we hired them for both the website and advertising, we weren’t sure how much the teams communicated. So, we learned how to navigate that, but we needed to be communicating with both teams and not assuming they were communicating with each other in the background. It’s not necessarily a criticism, it just took us some time to figure out.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a community college located in Manitoba. We have five campuses in the province that serve 3,600 full-time students and thousands of more part-time students. A lot of our education is in health, human services, trades, and technology. We grant certificates, diplomas, and postgraduate-level credentials as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Echidna?

Our website is our primary means of recruiting new students to the college. It was set as a project priority a few years out, so we knew that we would need to redevelop the platform. We needed to keep it fresh and current to keep us relevant in the market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The overall experience was really good. Our business model is a little different than most, and they picked up on our many different audiences from the beginning. They helped us create a site that meets the needs of each individual group. Whether students, industries, governing bodies, or employers are using the site, they should be able to find the information they need. Their team helped us through that process. They worked to present the information nicely while communicating clearly. Their team used Drupal to create the site. 

One of the main project focuses was a microsite for our athletics program. That was something fairly unique and new to our site. They spent a lot of time investing in the schedules, rosters, and overall look and feel of that subsite within the larger platform.

What is the team composition?

There was a pretty core team of three people. That included an account rep that changed staffing midway through the project, an account manager, and a lead developer. There were a few other designers and developers that were brought onto calls periodically. 

How did you come to work with Digital Echidna?

We put out an RFP for agencies in Canada to bid on. They have experience working with post-secondary institutions in Canada, so they seemed like a strong fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just under $100,000 CAD (approximately $76,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We awarded the project in March 2019, and the site went live in December 2019. Currently, we’re fine-tuning the site with them and have a one-year maintenance plan with them.

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

The achieved the goals that we were aiming for, providing us a site that looked and functioned well as well as clearly communicating our value add to key audiences like prospective students, current students, alumni, and donors. So far, people are feeling good about the look and feel of the site, providing us with positive feedback on how it functions. Users are always happy when they can browse the site on mobile, which they’ve been able to do easily.

Additionally, people felt that the website was true to our visual identity and who we are as a college. The site is authentic to what we do as a school.

How did Digital Echidna perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly phone calls with their team to discuss their progress. In addition to our standing meetings, we had a series of Google Sheets that allowed us to make real-time updates on issues and bugs as they were continuing to build and refine it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Given my experience with other agencies, I appreciated their discipline in having weekly meetings. Sometimes, partners will let a few meetings shift over time. But, I think that our consistent communication was very important. Additionally, having a development lead being a part of our conversations was huge. We always understood what was happening technically, and nothing got lost in translation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of much. Toward the end, there was some pressure related to making sure we all the kinks worked out on time. Our team may have been more optimistic than we should’ve been. We could’ve put in a little more work on the planning end to avoid some of that last-minute pressure.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to get them the information that they need on a timely basis, so they can continue moving on their end. If they need answers from you, provide them quickly to ensure they stay on pace.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the technology/support department for the university's library system. We develop the library website and associated resources. I am a Web Application Developer, Sr.

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

Training on Drupal 8 and planning for our site's Drupal 7 to 8 migration.

What were your goals for this project?

Enable the team to get a feel for how Drupal 8 has changed from Drupal 7 with the inclusion of Symfony as the backbone. Learn things to watch out for during migration and take advantage of the trainer's experience with Drupal 8 to discuss modules and processes.

How did you select this vendor?

We had hired Acquia to provide training and they maintain a pool of training companies to sub-contract. We were assigned to Digital Echidna.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

A week of Drupal 8 immersion training including site building, theming, custom module development, migration, along with a review of our current site and modules.

What was the team composition?

Our entire team attended for the first day, which was basic Drupal 8 information. The developers attended for the entire week and more advanced topics. We also invited other developers from our department and other departments on campus to attend since our entire university uses Drupal. Our team: 2 web developers, UX designer, web services librarian. The total group size fluctuated but we had anywhere from 5-10 people.

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

Our team feels much more confident about our site migration to Drupal 8 and our ability to migrate the content and create modules as needed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their team was very communicative leading up to the training week and provided materials in advance to help everyone prepare by creating a local site to work on. They were very flexible when it came to scheduling and were willing to go above and beyond in the topics covered during training. Our team was very pleased with the whole process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our trainer was incredibly knowledgeable. We were very impressed with her ability to explain concepts and teach us the basics of Object Oriented Programming. It was clear that she spoke from her own experience and knowledge of Drupal 8 rather than just regurgitating the packaged training material.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. I was very happy with Digital Echidna. My only regret is that we didn't know that we could have approached them directly for training.