Well Played: "Teamleader has been there from the start to help us grow soundly."

By all accounts, Well Played is doing great. In the 15 months since we last talked to the Belgian animation company, their team has expanded from 6 to 17 people and should reach 25 by September. They've also moved into a shiny new office. COO Didier Bintein sounds like a man who's poised for bigger and better things, but never in a rush. "Teamleader has been there from the start to help us grow soundly. We're not looking to change that anytime soon."

There's no shame in admitting you're a numbers-and-stats guy. The description fits Didier to a T. "You can always find me tinkering with the Teamleader statistics, that's true (laughs). It's very important, too. After all, knowing exactly what you're investing in is a huge challenge. And you need to have a full understanding of where your resources are going and what you're getting in return. Teamleader lets you do that in a jiffy."

A new project manager will start soon. That's where Teamleader's project module will prove to be handy. "Time tracking shows you the true value of a project. It helps us use our human resources wisely so we can afford our rent and basic office requirements. Those percentages matter for a viable enterprise. I'd rather not have to guess."

Well Played charges customers a fixed price for projects. That upfront approach makes guesswork a liability. "People enjoy some clarity about the cost of a project. Me too. It's actually become a part of our vision. A final invoice that's wildly different from your quotation: I don't like that at all. Our quotations are very transparent to begin with, so our customers know what they're paying for. It's on us to make good on our promises."

A lot has changed for Well Played this last year. How has that affected their Teamleader use? "We've become genuine power users of the Deals module, creating a nice funnel along the way. We didn't have that back then." A glance at Didier's screen allows for a smile: Well Played's first deal phase is called 'There's something there'.

"If we have even the slightest bit of contact with a lead, we register it. This particular phase reflects that: there might be some interest, but nothing concrete. Marketing fills up that part of the funnel, laying a solid foundation for sales. It's a smooth transition, and the insights Teamleader provides about deal scoring percentages take away the need for guesswork. Again: as little assumptions as possible, but rather intelligent estimations."

This, Didier explains, is vital for a growing organization. "What will the future hold? That's hard to tell. But we keep the ball rolling. We're hiring this great talent - copywriters, graphic designers, a salesperson, a project manager - and we have to make sure there's work for them to do. Since looking in the future is not an option, building and analyzing your funnel smartly is the next best thing."

Projects depend on a lot of changing variables and demand a certain flexibility. Teamleader adds structure and insight to that equation. "I enjoy a good deadline", Didier adds, "it adds focus to a project." But running Well Played also involves a lot of steady, repetitive tasks. "Do you want to make sure something gets done? Then automate it. Email templates, standard quotations and accompanying letters form the bread and butter of a company that wants cost-efficient, consistent communication. Teamleader shines in that area. It probably saves us the cost of a full-time employee."

Meanwhile, the planning and CRM module have not lost their merit. "They've become evergreens for us, ideally suited for meetings and double-checking agendas." And when it comes to invoicing, Well Played has little to learn. "We have fully optimized our invoicing. Our accepted deals become projects, and thanks to small customization by Lodestar - fixed in less than 2 days - an automatic invoice is sent out for every finished milestone on a project. I don't think any company spends less time on invoicing than we do. From deal to project to invoice: streamlined to perfection."

Things are on the up and up for Well Played, and looking to stay that way. "Sales are going really well right now, and we don't want to tell our customers we can only start working on their projects in a month. However, personnel is a pretty big fixed cost. That might be my biggest task: striking a healthy balance between smart hiring and satisfied customers. The insight Teamleader provides helps me to achieve that every day."

So what's on the roadmap for Well Played? "Pricing keeps on evolving, although some colleagues would prefer to see that stabilized soon (laughs). There are two points of attention right now: analytics and aftercare. We don't want our animations to gather dust on a server somewhere. We want to analyze the numbers and learn from it, together with the customer. Plus, what's the use of a cool video if no one gets to see it?"

And that's far from all. "On May 26, we're announcing a name change and inaugurating our new office at the same time. So you've got the scoop right here." A name change and a new location? That's a pretty big event alright. Coincidentally, Teamleader has an event coming up too. "Oh you do? Fantastic. I'm always curious about what Teamleader has in store. An event is perfect for that. Count on Well Played to be there."

Update 18/07/2016: This testimonial was first published on 19/05/2016. In the meantime, Well Played, formerly SEEQ, changed their name.