twentysix

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re an insurance company, and we concentrate on auto, commercial, home, and small business insurance.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m a project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with twentysix?

We’ve had two main pieces of work for them. The first piece was to produce some front-end designs for a direct-to-market auto insurance proposition, with the idea being that we were going to use another party to build the website. twentysix initially just did all of the designs for us. We then parted company with the original agency that was going to build our website, and we went back to twentysix. They are now building the website for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

It’s been a particularly good website development and design project. The first part was all design – the look and feel. The second part that we’re working through now is the actual build and integration into our back-end system.

What was your process for selecting twentysix with which to work?

We went through an RFP [request for proposal] process for the initial design work. We used recommendations from consultants we’d worked with and picked out seven or eight agencies. We narrowed it down, and we went through proof of concepts with three agencies. Throughout the process, we were very impressed with twentysix. It was clear that they really wanted the business. They put a lot of effort into everything they did for us from the initial response through to the proof of concept. It was also an advantage that they’re located quite close to our main offices.

For the actual build of the website, we contacted a number of other agencies. Because we were under time constraints, our search was really brief. Eventually, we just went back to twentysix.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve spent somewhere between $100,000 and $500,000 working with twentysix.

When did you start working with them, and is the relationship ongoing?

The first design project started in mid-2013 and ended in May 2014. They started on the latest piece of work in December 2014 and are still currently working on it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback from the project?

We were pleased with the design work they did with us. We found that they have very strong relationship and project management teams. We’re about a third of the way through the latest piece of work, and they’ve been able to mobilize .NET developers and bring a whole range of different skills to the table. They are one of the biggest agencies in the north that also had the skills we wanted. The project at the moment is very fluid, and they are responding and being very agile. We have a very open and honest relationship with them, so if something goes off the rails on either side, we tell each other. If it’s something that we want them to react to, they react at once.

Is there anything unique about twentysix that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

We were very impressed by the designs their team came up with, the people they brought to the table, and the way they translated ideas into actual designs. I was also very impressed with their senior project manager, who also has a technical background. The people that have senior roles in the company have very good technical knowledge, so they can talk with great authority on issues. They don’t have to rely on developers to give them an update on something that they know themselves.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I don’t think there’s anything significant we can improve on or would do differently.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Be very clear from the start about the type of relationship you want with them. Also, getting the right key staff on the project is important.