Squeak

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead the brand experience & marketing for an IT MNC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a challenge at hand wherein we wanted to have something exciting done at the employee gates. As our company is people focussed, we wanted to make it special and engaging for them. I worked along with VIvek and Neisha to come up with art that would adorn the gate walls. One of the walls was left blank for employees to come and exhibit their art (co-ordinated art)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Innovative idea! Loved the way the team showcased pre-defined messaging through interesting trendy art. They were as excited as we were while executing it. Meticulous planning and respecting their commitment - love to work with such bunch of energetic people.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Meticulous planning - They first did some homework about out brand and our key focus areas pertaining to employees. Based on this they shared an estimated budget and on approval we kick started our discussion. Once, as a team, we decided the themes for each wall, they got in to planning stage. Breaking down each stage with pre-requisites, materials, people and employee communication. They aligned seamlessly with out internal teams to ensure seamless execution and managed end to end implementation.

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

From the vendors team I was in constant touch with 4 people including Vivek and Neisha

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since this was something new in our campus, it was well received by the employees and appreciated by the management.

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

Their team was extremely clear with their thoughts and approach. They keep you posted on every step through emails, F2F meetings and phone of course.

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

Creativity - out of the box thinking.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Brihans Laboratories, a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical product distributor focusing on animal healthcare.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Squeak?

We needed their team’s expertise in branding and graphic design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Squeak designed our company’s brand identity, including our logo, letterhead, and other promotional materials. They also designed the packaging for our new product offerings.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Neisha (Business Lead).

How did you come to work with Squeak?

We chose Squeak among their competitors because they had a unique approach and an interesting portfolio, which suited our project requirements best.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100–$1000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from July 2018–July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a successful engagement with Squeak’s team — we implemented the designs they delivered across all our platforms and materials that we still use to this day. Their team did a great job with translating our ideas and vision into actual design deliverables. Our customers also appreciated our overall brand identity and well-designed products.

How did Squeak perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email, phone calls, and both in-person and virtual meetings. Squeak put a lot of time and effort into guaranteeing that our goals and timelines were met and were patient throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were most impressed with the high level of dedication they portrayed to ensure that all their deliverables represented our company well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We got what we wanted towards the end, so there were no complaints from our team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their team to generate unique design solutions that will elevate your brand image.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Aura Eyetech, a smart eyewear company. We’re developing smart glasses for retail, B2B, and B2C.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Squeak?

We needed help with branding and web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Squeak is developing our website and doing our branding. Now, we’re considering using them for marketing, too.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with the two main partners at Squeak. One of them does a lot of branding and design work. The other partner is very good at the organizational side of things, making sure that everything is done on time and people are staying on track. There’s a third person involved in the project, who is helping us with the website development.

How did you come to work with Squeak?

Squeak recently launched in the UK. We spoke to someone who is a good friend of theirs, and they introduced us to them. We looked at their website and had a conference call with the partners. They pitched us with their work and their ideas, and we went from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $2,000–$3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Squeak helped us bring our ideas to life and brought us to a point where we’re happy with our brand. We’re satisfied with how our logo looks, as well as with the story and concept behind our brand. Our website also looks great.

Squeak is very professional and responsive, and I’ve been very impressed with their approach and understanding of the UK market. Whenever a company sets in another country, they have cultural challenges to overcome. However, Squeak has done that very well.

Additionally, working with them is a pleasure. Even when we disagree on something, they’re very good at accepting our feedback, elaborating on our comments, and coming back to us with suggestions and amendments.

How did Squeak perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve had several conference calls where they’ve pitched their ideas. We also have a WhatsApp group where we share our ideas and thoughts. Additionally, we use Zoho to manage the project, the budget, and more.

Squeak’s communication skills are great; they’re very good at articulating timelines and managing expectations. In the beginning, we were quite aggressive with our timelines and requirements, but they were good at managing that.

We’ve had other challenges in recent months, and we’ve had to pull back a little bit on what we’re doing, but they’ve been great. They’ve been nudging us along, asking when things will be ready, which is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The product they create, their design skills, and their creativity are quite impressive. They’re also very friendly and pleasurable to work with. They’re down-to-earth people who are trying to launch their business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, they had some challenges understanding how UK clients operate and their cultural differences. They’re currently addressing those challenges, and I think they’ll get better at doing their work with time. I’d only urge them to get a lot of testimonials from clients like us as quickly as possible to start getting known.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be candid and have upfront conversations at the beginning about your expectations, budget, and level of ownership of the project. Make sure that everyone is clear on what they have to do and manage the expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Tikka Nation, a restaurant chain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Squeak?

We needed to take the brand to the market, do marketing and branding, as well as packaging and other things. Therefore, we needed someone to be our marketing partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Squeak has worked on our branding and packaging, and they’ve shown us what every store will look like and what the customer journey will be. Basically, they’ve done everything for us.

What is the team composition?

We have two people at the moment, but I’m sure there’s a team behind them.

How did you come to work with Squeak?

A friend had previously worked with them, and they referred them to me. Squeak was open to feedback, and we could relate to their people. For us, that was really important because anyone could give you a design and talk through it, but they were also honest about what they could and couldn’t do.

Additionally, they listened to our ideas, we listened to theirs, and together we came up with what our brand should look like. In the end, their people were what helped us decide to work with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $7,000—$8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership around June 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a retainer with them, and they take care of anything we ask for. Since we started, our sales have increased by 78%, which is thanks to our engagement.

Moreover, Squeak has brought life to our brand and brought it to a broader market. They’ve attracted other ethnic crowds, and now our brand is universal, so more people can relate to it.

How did Squeak perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is amazing, and communication is excellent. They meet the deadlines, and a lot of times, they’re even ahead of them. They also work with our other suppliers as well.

We usually communicate via email, and we also call them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication and their openness and willingness to listen and adapt have been crucial for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate well with them and be clear about what you want. Also, be open to Squeak’s ideas — some of them might seem short-sighted, but they really help the brand in the long term. In that sense, you should work with them on a long-term project rather than just a one-off project. That’ll really help the brand to improve sales.