Plexial

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Publicity Mastermind for our company. In charge of the branding, A&P and also marketing.

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

Our main business website was first constructed in early 2000s, and was slowly updated throughout the years, but since the last 2 years we have introduced new product lines as well as new models and changes to the current line ups as well.

Since the look & feel, the styling and structure of the website remained pretty much unchanged throughout the year, the management and us decided that it is high time to revamp the website and give it a fresh new look and layout. Our aim wasn't just to improvise the look & feel for a fresh new look, but also to optimize it further for better SEO performance and traffic.

Our previous Website / SEO vendor was also another reason why we hired Plexial, since we wanted to part way with our previous SEO vendor due to poor SEO performance and poor customer service, we found out that because they were the web host as well as web developer, they refuse to provide any form of back up or access for us to back up the old website, making it so that if we part way with the vendor, we will loose the website as well.

Since ultimately we part way with them, we also lost the website, but taking this situation for our advantage, we decided to work with Plexial and construct a completely new website with a better look & feel, better functionality and more eye-catching for our traffic to stay longer.

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

We did shortlist a few vendor from various platform such as UpWorks, Freelancers and even Fiver and eventually came across Plexial. The initial interview with their representative; Jae went really well and we also realized they could offer us what we want.

The pricing is also reasonable, and since the company is located in our neighboring country, the timezone issue as well as language barrier that we faced with most freelancers from online is not an issue anymore. The ease of communication as well as the skills offered by Plexial eventually became the deciding factors.

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

We had a third-party UX/UI designer assist us on the construction of UX/UI as well as the work flow, this became the basis of the structure of the new website. Through series of meeting and discussion, we built a workflow that is very easy to manage as well.

With Plexial side working on the mockup website on their staging side with all the elements and structure present as our UX/UI and our requirement, which makes it easier for our side to provide the necessary contents knowing accurately how many assets were needed, topics to be included and etc. Once we have the content and such on hand, we pass it to them via google drive with a .pdf containing the mock up site layout and indicators of where each assets should be.

We also have frequent weekly meeting to ensure both sides are on the same page and to discuss on the hurdles we might face as well. We also did some changes on the existing layout and structure to better reflect our nature of business as well as to improvise the potential traffic performance based on the advices provided by Plexial side as well.

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

As far as we know, there are a few people involved, but we only directly communicate with the project admin (I believe); Jae, who was also the person we first contacted with. Since all the communication is streamlined to a single representative, it makes it easier for our side as well and it ease the workflow too I believe.

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

After launching the site, we can see the visible differences in traffic, however, due to our SEO needed to be start from scratch, the result is not so significant. However, for a site that was just launched with SEO optimization not started yet, the traffic result was amazing. Not just that, Plexial side also advice us on alot of method to improvise the site loading time and such. They were very helpful and understanding as well. The look of the entire site is also very different and refreshing compared to our dull old site.

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

We had weekly meeting via Google Meet, where Plexial site will walk us through on their current progress and update us what are the missing pieces we would need to provide, or what are the things we can expect to be completed and etc. The timeline was also on track as we first discussed, even tho we had a couple of hurdles.

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

They are very friendly and understanding. Their skill on website development is also amazing, they even constructed us original plug-ins for a feature we requested for which we couldn't find a read-made plug-in. They also made the back end side easier to be managed via their own builder as well.

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

For time being, we haven't encounter any issues or anything while working with them, everything went according to plan, no hiccups from their side. Everything was really good. Their communication skill is amazing, and they could explain things in ways that even a layman could understand even though it is very technical in detail. Really great to work with them, and their after sales service support is great as well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of an online business consulting firm. We provide professional services such as Digitalization and Workflow Improvements, Accounting, Human Resources and Corporate Secretary services.

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

I totally have no experience in creating and developing a website when I first started. I barely managed to put up a very simple and bare skeleton website with the guides/videos available online. But it is not able to fully convey the message I want and the ideas I have. So I engaged the professional services of Plexial to help me with my website revamp.

How did you select Plexial and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for web developers and it was indeed difficult to find one that is within our budget. Gabriel was very efficient in responding to my request for quotes and after reviewing their portfolio, of which some of their clients are in the same industry, I'm quite sure that they will be able to deliver what I have in mind. They have also been receiving consistently good ratings from other clients which is the reason I chose them over others.

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

We immediately scheduled for a zoom meeting the day after confirmation to kickstart the project. We had a discussion on the goals, expectations and bouncing off some ideas. Gabriel soon followed up with the first mock-up for my review. Both Gabriel and Jae were very helpful in translating my ideas into the mock-up and also providing some ideas and feedbacks on how to improve the look of the website and give it a unique touch, including experimenting with new ideas.

Apart from the WordPress which my website is using, they also suggested to include other applications such as Google Analytics which is indeed very crucial in this new era where data is the key. They also patiently guided and advised me whenever I have queries in relation to website developments.

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

Jae and Gabriel - web developers

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

This review is done a day after the deployment of the website and hence unable to commend on the measurable outcomes as yet. But now potential clients know more about our company and services as more information can be gathered from our website.

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

Initially, we started our communications with zoom to convey the ideas. But subsequently, we switched over to email as the main mode of communication. As I am rather slow in responding to them with the changes and ideas I have on mind. So I will consolidate the details in a word document with some simple visuals to illustrate (if it's too difficult to explain in words), so that they could understand fully what I want. I'm glad they are organized and easy to follow.

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

They gave us a very professional site which is easy to update. They also provide us with user guides so that we can follow thee steps when we update it going forward.

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

Nope, all good

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Uniforce Enterprise is a wholesale and retail company of perishable and nonperishable goods. We sell pet food and accessories, and we have our own IT and infrastructure services. The company is Singapore-based and locally-owned, and we’ve been in business for 10 years.

I’m one of the delivery heads of the business and the head of wholesale. I also take care of IT.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plexial?

We were building our e-commerce retail store ourselves, and we needed help from a partner to bring it to better shape.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Plexial has developed a couple of e-commerce sites for us, one retail and one wholesale, and they’re also managing our company website. We’re using ManageWP for all of our sites, and they’re on WooCommerce. The programming languages they’ve used are mainly PHP and JavaScript.

We have certain restrictions on minimum order quantities for the wholesale site. It works similarly to Alibaba, in the order of thousands. The site also has preordering, and the delivery dates are estimated and automatically set when the order is placed.

We have at least 3,000 products on the site, and the number keeps growing. Plexial has a team that helps us upload those products.

What is the team composition?

We work mainly with J Tan (Founder) and one developer from Plexial. There is a third developer that supports them from a remote location.

How did you come to work with Plexial?

As far as online retail goes, we’re a startup. We were looking to work with a local company in Singapore. I contacted a few vendors on Upwork or a similar site, and Plexial’s quote was the most attractive. I had a couple of meetings with them and evaluated their strength with the help of our internal technical team.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the wholesale site was around $3,000 SGD (approximately $2,000 USD). In total, we’ve spent around $10,000 SGD (approximately $8,000 USD) so far, including upcoming support and maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Plexial around January 2021, and we’re launching the e-commerce site in April 2021. We’ve signed a yearly maintenance and support contract with Plexial, so we’ll be working with them for the coming year.

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

We’re happy with Plexial’s work. They’re quite flexible, and they’re able to offer support even at late hours. Startups like us need people like them.

I’ve referred Plexial to a friend that runs an IT company in Singapore. He started working with them two weeks ago, and he’s quite happy as well.

How did Plexial perform from a project management standpoint?

J Tan is the one managing everything. He’s structured, and he informs us about any issues.

We normally use Zoom and email for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a startup, we need a partner that’s quite flexible. Plexial always responds right away. It feels like they’re on call all the time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should add more people. I believe they’re already expanding, but they need to make sure that they have the right team size to manage everything. Nonetheless, they’re good at what they do, and they’ll definitely get more clients.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I told the friend I referred to Plexial to give them all the information up front, preferably in a face-to-face meeting. You don’t want to end up with something other than what you had in mind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a sole trader and my business specialises in women’s fashion

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

to develop and design a functioning online store with plugins that are necessary

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

I found out about plexial through word of mouth, recommended my a family member who’s used their services before

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

a functioning store via wordpress with woocommerce, with approximately 10 pages and categories. Also dxm order fulfilment plugin.

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

Jae, company team member

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

It was agreed upon on a written contract that project should be done in a fortnight or less, with unlimited revisions after. Project was finished on time and Jae is still there after to answer questions, advice, consult, and revise

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

Their attitude and professionalism really help build trust, which is great when working with a remote team. 

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

They are very hands-on and quick with any issues that would come up

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of marketing for IHRP, a professional body for HR in Singapore

For what projects/services did your company hire Plexial?

We needed urgent help to revamp a landing page due to lack of traffic which leads to close to nil conversions

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

I put up a proposal on a marketplace and they reached out. I like their portfolio and importantly they also did up their own website well.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

I did a mockup to show them and they mirror the design as much as possible onto WordPress. What I really appreciate is they did not just copy wholesale and added in their own opinions which make sense

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

2 person. One of the main web master and the other is supporting.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Landing page went well and we are generating >20 per weeks

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Enjoyed the hands-off approach since we are not the web dev expert

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

They have a really quick turnaround. We appreciate their high-touch approach.

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

They should charge more for the amount of service.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as a business strategist at Accounting Clinics, an accounting company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plexial?

We needed someone to develop our website to promote our business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Plexial has developed two websites for us using WordPress. As for our usual work process, I relay our requirements to their team, and they send samples and templates for us to go over and approve. We then point out if there are modifications to be done, and their team proceeds with the development phase once those are applied. They’ve done two websites for us.

Accounting Clinics, the first website that Plexial has created for us, is currently deployed. It’s a straightforward platform that lists our services, rates, and a customer contact form. The second website is more service-specific as our users can select potential interest rates, loan amounts, and then our staff can also track a customer's loan repayment records.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is J (Founder). We also work with an in-house copy designer, who's in charge of designing site illustrations.

How did you come to work with Plexial?

We posted a hiring ad on a recruitment platform, and Plexial responded. We found their price to be reasonable, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $2,500 on the development of our two websites.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

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

Plexial's team has developed and designed slick-looking and user-friendly websites for us. We haven’t tracked our marketing records to check the metrics yet, but I'm confident that our business will grow through our new online platforms.

How did Plexial perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email. Plexial has managed the project quite well — they've met all our requirements and delivered satisfying results on time. Overall, I'm happy with the way they've participated in our collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Plexial is a highly reliable team. There've been instances wherein we've reached out to their team outside their work hours, but they still deliver every feature we need despite the pressing deadlines. We've thought of the loan calculator site quite later in the project, and they've managed to deploy everything without any issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are no particular areas that I can think of. They've done their part without troubling us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the mockup or the design sample that you have in mind to make the process flow smoothly and quickly. Plexial is a creative team, so you can trust them to make all your ideas come to life.