Locomotive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I worked with Locomotive, I was the head of brand at Spire Digital, which is a satellite data company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

We were looking for a vendor to redesign our website and expand our brand image.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Locomotive designed a new website for us from scratch and added many new features that we requested, such as a calendar feature and an advanced contact feature. They also built a fluid design that transitioned from page to page and integrated the website with many different tools that we used for marketing. They mostly used JavaScript for development.

In addition, they helped us develop our brand. We took what they did for our website and turned it into an entirely new style guide. In our industry, there are a lot of copycats, but what Locomotive designed for us helped us stand out.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 people, including our project manager.

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

We found Locomotive when we were browsing different websites that had won design awards.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met all the milestones that we had set in terms of the delivery times. We got a very positive feedback from the outside community, and people notice how amazing our website is. The site has already won two awards from the design community.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very transparent and honest. If another customer of theirs had a serious issue and they had to jump over to fix that, they always let us know what was going on and how they were going to make up for it to make sure it didn't affect our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They pushed the design forward and presented our brand as very innovative. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you're ready to be a leader in your industry in terms of the design. They'll make your company look outstanding.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a program manager at Bewegen Technologies Inc., a mobility company that specializes in electric assist bike sharing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

Our website was quite outdated, which was not an accurate depiction of the technological advancements that have taken place within our company over the past five years. We wanted to revamp the platform to improve our digital identity and generate more leads. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We partnered with Locomotive to build a dynamic website using their Charcoal CMS. We wanted the site to be informative and engaging, so they placed a 3D rendering of one of our bikes on the home page; users can rotate and zoom in on the product while reading about its features. Another interactive element on the website is the “Build Your Bikeshare” quiz, which prepares a PDF file of a custom bike-share experience based on the user’s responses. The site also has a bike-share map that shows all of the places where our bikes are located.

What is the team composition?

We mostly interacted with the project manager, but both of Locomotive’s creative directors were present during our project meetings. 

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

We wanted to work with a local web developer, and Locomotive has been labeled as one of the best in our region. After reaching out to them, their team went beyond the meeting requirements and developed a full design concept for the website. Their presentations showed us that they understood what we wanted to achieve.

What is the status of this engagement?

They began working on the website in the middle of April 2018, and we were able to launch the platform at the beginning of August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Locomotive’s work has played a vital role in our business development. Traffic has increased significantly since launching the new site, and the platform’s interactive features have dramatically improved the bounce rate. We have achieved similar success with lead generation. 

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

They drafted a detailed project timeline, so both parties understood the amount of work that was expected before each deadline. The few delays that occurred were due to mishaps on our end. Our communication was also straightforward; we occasionally met in person, but we mostly shared information via Google Drive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Locomotive was able to view the project from our perspective, which allowed them to deliver a website that surpassed our expectations. Instead of waiting for us to feed them ideas, they created a complete vision that matched our brand perfectly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an online retail store for primarily Birkenstocks. Online, we're an exclusive Birkenstock shop for Canada.

What is your position?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

We first approached them to design our website and get it launched. We hired Locomotive a few years ago because I liked the style that they had for designing websites. They had a follow up with consulting, and advertising. They didn't just build a website and say, "Good luck." They followed us through. We had sales the day we opened the website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We started working with them in 2012, I believe. Aside from building our website, they also handle our Facebook and Google AdWords. They keep an eye on AdWords to make sure we're always in the right search engines. They also handle the kinds of ads we put on Facebook. I estimate we spend about $40,000 to $50,000 a year on Google and Facebook ads. They have a management fee for taking care of these things for us.

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

My business partner had seen some of the sites they'd worked on. He got reference from two other people. He said they were quite different from other companies. We had a few other estimates, and they were OK, but simply had no follow up. They would build a site and that's it.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I think the original site must have cost around $17,000. With back-end upgrades, it was about $40,000. We're upgrading again in order to be more mobile friendly, so that would be another $27,000 to $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are retaining their services for upgrading our website as we're speaking.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

To tell you the truth, I've spoken to many people that have opened websites for retail, and they never had success on day one. It's hard to say anything negative about Locomotive because what they promised actually came true. So far, it's been great. I understand them, and they understand me. I understand my business, and they understand theirs, so that generated a bit of friction at the beginning. It was normal. Now, we completely understand each other, which makes it much easier, so everything flows well.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

They're always close to budget. We had one situation where they delivered on time, but it took some time to get the bugs out – longer than I wanted. In the end, it worked out.

What distinguishes Locomotive from other providers?

I think that they have a strong team behind them.

Is there anything Locomotive could have improved or done differently?

They're based in Quebec, and thus are French speaking, and geared towards French sites. I know that they do other things, even outside of country right now. Some more English would probably be better. Even though everybody speaks English there, communiques are always sent in French. It tends to get a bit irksome. My partner also lives in California, and they always ask for things like that. I think that's minor, though. It's up to them to fix it if they're dealing outside of Quebec and of Canada.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a municipality. We have 220 employees.

What is your position?

I am the Director of Communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

At the time, we were thinking about getting a new website. So, we approached some firms that work on the Internet, and we literally fell in love with Locomotive.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

For this project, we worked with Locomotive for two months. It was primarily web development. They did all the menu of the website, including the design.

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

We sent an invitation to about six or seven companies and they answered it. We met five of them and we chose Locomotive because they were more dynamic, more inspiring, and they had very good ideas.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The project was around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The sites have been launched.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The Mayor, the direct personnel, and all our colleagues said, "Oh wow, this is much better than before!" Many people that live in the municipality sent us a message to express how they like it and feel like it’s much more efficient than before and that they can find information easier. Some other cities are calling us to ask who had done our website.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

Locomotive met all of our objectives in time and in money. I only have good comments to say. I had a problem on a Saturday morning, I called them, and they answered my question the same day. So, I was very happy with that.

What distinguishes Locomotive from other providers?

I think they have good ideas and their websites do not look like something every other city has. There is a model that all the cities are using for their website and they go outside of it. I think it's very important to say that they are innovating.

Is there anything Locomotive could have improved or done differently?

No, I don’t think so. They perform very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are the national governing body of a sporting group in Canada, which includes development of the national team and promoting of the activities in Canada.

What is your position?

I’m the marketing director for the sporting group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

We were looking to create a new website that would give us a more updated look and feel, with a more intuitive interface for the user. Our site is quite challenging due to the amount of material that’s on there, as well as interaction with a large database in the backend of the site. It’s currently done in French and English, so it’s pretty big. We also wanted a site that was fully responsive to mobile devices. It was a pretty big job and we needed some fresh eyes on board.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The scope of work was primarily website development. Our request at the start of the project was for the site to be built using WordPress. In terms of the backend, we didn’t have them redo our database. They had to adapt the site to our massive database, so that was a bit of a challenge.

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

I know our CEO found them, but I’m not sure of how. I think there was a connection there, and possibly a referral. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The exact cost is confidential. We did make a long-term commitment to them, which I think they found appealing. Partway through the project, we agreed to pay them a little more because the scope of work was somewhat increased due to some unforeseen parts of the project that weren’t anticipated.

There was probably a little underestimating on their side of how big the site actually was, and at times there was some tension around the amount of hours they had to spend, which they probably didn’t anticipate. So part of it included some surprises that came up, which we paid for; part of it was that they underestimated and maybe under-quoted the job a little bit. In the end, I think it worked out fairly for both sides.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began a little less than a year ago, and we’re still working with them. Part of the deal we signed with them was for ongoing hosting and maintenance of the site, so we plan to be working together for a number of years. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We admittedly didn’t have great analytics for our previous site, unfortunately, so we’re a little dubious as to the comparative numbers. Anecdotally, we’re really happy with the end result. There are still things that need to be done. Any of the dissatisfaction we had stemmed from the fact that both parties did not have the same understanding of what would be part of the end delivery. I’m willing to believe that was a mutual misunderstanding.

In general, our numbers are still high, and if anything, our mobile traffic has skyrocketed, because our previous site was mobile friendly. The amount of mobile traffic we’re getting now is pretty huge, and we’re convinced that’s due to the new site. I think our users are surprised by how simple it is. Sometimes they can’t find stuff because they don’t assume it’s as simple as it actually is. That’s a credit to the design.

We’re still looking to develop some other pieces that we knew would be phase two and three, but overall I’d say we’re really quite happy with where the work has gotten to. We’re looking forward to comparing month over month as we go forward, but unfortunately we don’t have a lot of hard data from our previous site.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

The budget issues were somewhat mutual. I think it’s possible that some of the confusion was language based. We always did better when we met in person than on the phone. Part of that certainly could be that French is their first language in general, and English is the first language for most of our staff.

We did have what seemed to be fairly large chunks of vacation that happened on their side during our project, and although the project may have been progressing during those times, we didn’t have the same confidence that it was. The communication on their side would drop during the times when key people were away. Even if they did have coders working away, we didn’t know that. So from a learning perspective for their sake, I think that would be important.

Although the project didn’t hit its deadline entirely, I feel like we were equally comfortable with making sure that it was right before we launched. Some of the reason it didn’t hit the deadline was probably on us. We all underestimated some pieces, and none of us wanted to launch the site without those pieces being fixed.

What distinguishes Locomotive from other providers?

One of their people, the art director/head of design, seems to be a pretty magical force. When we did the request for proposal [RFP] process, their pitch was far and away more advanced compared to all the others because he took the time to mock up what it could look like and how he envisioned the site moving. That visual presentation definitely helped sway us.

In the beginning, they challenged us on a lot of stuff. Instead of just saying, ‘Yeah, you’re the client. We’ll get you what you want,’ they challenged us on some things and made good arguments for why we shouldn’t want some of the stuff we wanted. They gave us some good ideas and solutions as to what we should consider instead. The Locomotive team is all very creative, and they’re very passionate about what they can deliver. I’d say that they did deliver what they said they would, which is very meaningful to me. Basically the overall design, vision, and the application of our brand onto a really elegant website, can be credited to their art director. He seems to be a bit of a website whisperer.

Is there anything Locomotive could have improved or done differently?

I think what I mentioned probably sums it up, and everything that I’ve said is for their improvement, not out any sort of malice. We’re pleased to have them as a partner, and I think they’re a really excellent group. Even though they’ve been at it a while, they’re young guys that are pushing hard, and we’re happy to be with them. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Compulsion Games is a small independent games developer based in Montréal, Quebec. We distribute digital games to PC and console players; we don’t work in the mobile space.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I am the chief operating officer. With only 12 people in the company, that basically means I’m the guy who does a little bit of everything.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

Initially we needed a complete revamp of our corporate site. In the last two years, we’ve released our first game, and it’s gone reasonable well. We’re releasing a second game, so the website is a key part of our entire marketing efforts. For the most part, it’s about projecting the right kind of image so that potential employees, business partners, and consumers can check us out and see that we’re different from the rest of the game developers. We really wanted to make sure that our corporate website was not only really unique but down to earth and friendly at the same time.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They worked on design and development. We did ask them to have a reasonable content management system [CMS], and they used their own internally developed CMS for us, which has worked fine. We also asked them to integrate forum software, which they weren’t very familiar with initially, but all that went reasonably well.

How did you come to work with Locomotive?

We’re part of a big group of developers in Montréal, and Locomotive was one of the agencies recommended to us. We had a look at their portfolio of websites at the time, and we thought they looked really good. They looked like a company with style and substance, and they were also big enough that they could get stuff done quickly and competently.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I wouldn’t want to share that without Locomotive’s permission, but I will say that it was very reasonable. We’re a small company, and we do not have anything close to unlimited funds.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project started in November of 2014, and we pushed it live mid to late January of 2015. The collaboration is ongoing, as we’re constantly updating the site and adding more functionality to it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback on the design of the site has been extremely good. We’ve had plenty of developers inside Montréal just look at it and say that it’s the best small independent video game website they’ve ever seen. We got a very big boost on launch. Actual visitor numbers are not that important to us on our website, but we got a huge initial swing and quite a lot of attention with design competitions and things like that. We even won an award for best design. For us it’s a tool, it’s not something we focus on. I think Locomotive was very happy as well. We’ve been very pleased with it and the actual design of the site is great.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well with project management.

What distinguishes Locomotive from other providers?

I think their sense of design is incredibly strong. The back end and other technical skills have always been perfectly fine, but their design sense is exceptional. If you want a really good looking and clean website, the Locomotive will build you something interesting.

Is there anything Locomotive could have improved or done differently?

We had some challenges with the forum software but that was more to do with a misunderstanding of the brief. For the rest of the site, the brief was solid, we had a good understanding of what we all needed, and everything proceeded very smoothly. Forums took a little longer, but I think that’s somewhat expected for this situation. 

They weren’t very familiar with the forum stuff that we did, mostly because in video game development forums are kind of bespoke, most of the time people actually do forums themselves. There aren’t many firms that really know a lot about that kind of thing. In the end, the outcome has been pretty solid, but it took a little longer to get that part done. I think that’s because we weren’t clear enough about what we needed. I think if we had been clearer and hadn’t left so much up to assumption, I think everything would have gone very smoothly as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work with a borough within the City of Montréal, so it's a public administration. We're the second largest city in Canada, and the biggest city in Québec. We have a population of a little more than two million people. I work specifically for the largest borough within the city, Côte-Des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which we call City NDG.

What is your position?

I am the head of communication.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Locomotive?

When I first met with the people from Locomotive, it was a kind of exploration. We were not looking for a specific project. I was looking for some new providers, so we met just to see what kind of services they offered, and they presented some ideas. At some point, I explained what I was looking for further. We decided at that point to have further discussions and to develop a project.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

As the head of communication here, I've got 170,000 people to reach on a regular basis. When we have a snowstorm here or other occurrences, I have to get in touch with my population. I could not afford to go through regular mass media – it took too long. I knew that I needed to find a way to get in touch with my population very quickly. The question was in my mind for many years.

When I met with Jean-François [Chainé, vice president of operations and founding partner at Locomotive], I told him that we need to make an application with a technical twist to get in touch with people without going through a third party. Jean-François came back with some ideas and asked if that was what I was looking for. I said, "You're on the right track, but you're missing the point this and this and this. What we're looking for is more that and that and that." Jean-François and the people from Locomotive went back to the table. They called for another meeting with me, and they said, "Are you looking for this?" I said, "You're getting closer." Then, we decided to start the project officially.

We designed the application together – kind of a co-development. They did the technical, and they put some creative and brainpower in, but the type of app they developed was not in existence when they did it. We're proud to be the first city using this system up here in Québec.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I can't talk about specific prices. One thing I can tell you is that Locomotive was a young company. In terms of money, Locomotive had the opportunity of working with the City of Montréal. It's kind of easier to have the City of Montréal as a customer than a little town. We both jumped on the opportunity. We provide the means, and they provide the brain. We provide the guidance, and they provide the technical knowledge. At the end, we paid good money, but I'd say it was a deal for both of this.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first met with them more than three years ago, I believe it was in the fall of 2012, and we are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

First, we are very pleased with the result. It was as good as I thought it would be. It was easy to work with them. It was a person-to-person business. I was dealing with a company, and he was dealing with a big city, but I involved myself in that project with Jean-François. It was a back-and-forth collaboration and, in the end, the process was good. We did a few creative meetings, then we had the design and the tests. Everything went very easy.

The result was so good that we still use that same platform that we used at the beginning. We know that we have to renew the platform. It's not because Locomotive cannot do that. It's only that we didn't have time to put more energy or money into it. The platform is still working.

Very soon in the project, I realized that the problem wouldn't be the technical aspects. The technical was not my concern – it was the promotion. How can you sell this thing to people? That was main concern, not the technical.

The application we designed was quite good. I think it could be better. I think it will be easy to improve it, but we still have the same problem. It's news gathering and promotion, which is stuff the technical crew cannot handle.

How did Locomotive perform from a project management standpoint?

The biggest problem I encountered was inside my own organization. The City of Montréal is a big organization. I did something that nobody else had done before, and people didn't understand why I was doing that. At the beginning, the system was designed to be spread through the whole city, across all 19 boroughs. We're the biggest one, but you've got 18 other boroughs that could use the system.

The city is a very conservative business. It was one of the problems – to convince people that it was the right thing to do. The other problem is the back office, and it's not Locomotive's problem. As good as the application can be, we need some people to run it.

What distinguishes Locomotive from other providers?

When you pursue something that you work hard on, even if doors are closed in front of you, you still try – that's how they work. They have persistence.

I would also say it would also be a kind of craziness, but not in a bad way. I'm in my late 40s, and I was dealing with a bunch of guys in their late 20s. They bring a fresh point of view to my organization. Locomotive put some fresh energy into the project. I think that was the main value of what they did.

Is there anything Locomotive could have improved or done differently?

I think so, but I believe they've already begun to improve. The city I represent is a large organization with its own way of doing things, and its own way of thinking. It's not an easy product to understand. We had a lot of conversations adjusting the products to our needs. I had to explain what the city is. We're not a shoe business or a postcard department – we're a city. At the beginning, we had to take some time to say, "No. Even if you want to do that, it won't work. I don't need you to do that." Since then, I'd say that they've correct the issue. They listen more than they did at the beginning. They are more aware of their customer's need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a project manager for a recreational facilities management company. We organize a triathlon as one of our projects. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Locomotive?

We engaged to create our website and brand image. We also needed consulting on our web advertising.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make the triathlon known to our target audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Locomotive for their professionalism, avant-garde vision, and extraordinary expertise.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Locomotive created our brand image and our website. They also formulated a promotion strategy to attract more visitors to our site. We had three meetings to establish our needs and requirements. We met once to present models before Locomotive delivered the finished products. Two sessions were then devoted to making adjustments.

What was the team composition?

I work with Jean-François (Jeff, Founding Partner and Operation Director, Locomotive).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had many visits to our site since we started working with Locomotive.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Jean François is wonderful. He is very efficient in his work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their leadership, listening skills, and dedication translate into extraordinary work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing comes to mind.