At the end of March 2022, Monosus' BtoB team was tasked with renewing the website of IT consulting firm ULSYSTEMS, Inc. They spent about half a year exploring "What makes ULSYSTEMS different from other companies?" and "How can we express the good points of ULSYSTEMS?" and shaping the website.
Project members from ULSYSTEMS and MONOSUS will look back on this project in a roundtable discussion (titles omitted below).
Participants in the roundtable discussion
Takashi Uematsu (Executive Director, ULSYSTEMS Inc.)
He has a strong track record in operational strategy planning, business reform, and the formulation and implementation of IT strategies. He is an IT consulting professional. In this project, he was in charge of writing the case study manuscript.
Keigo Ogata (Director, ULSYSTEMS Inc.)
He is the head of public relations and human resources at Ulsystems. He has experience working as an editor and journalist for magazines and web media specializing in enterprise IT. He is the main person in charge of this project.
Tatsuya Fujikawa (Senior Sales Executive, ULSYSTEMS Inc.)
He participated in this project as a sales representative and was in charge of selecting the production company and writing the manuscript.
Akira Nishizawa (Project Manager, ULSYSTEMS Inc.)
He is the project manager at Ulsystems who can silence even crying children. In this project, he is in charge of task management and manuscript writing.
Yoshihiro Tatsuta (Project Manager, Monosus Co., Ltd.)
He has been involved in the management and planning of many web site construction projects, and as the main person in charge of this project, he was involved in everything from planning proposals to project progress.
Yasuo Sakamoto (Sales, Monosus Co., Ltd.)
He conducts interviews on the actual operation of corporate websites of B2B companies and creates teams to realize client requests.
Go Hata (Director of Monosus Inc.)
Technical director of this project. In charge of the entire front-end, from CMS design to coding. Participated in the roundtable discussion online.
Taira Kawarazaki (Designer, Monosus Co., Ltd.)
Creative director of this project. In charge of everything from the overall creative design of the site to the design of individual pages. Participated in the roundtable discussion online.
Photo by: Madoka Akiyama
The roundtable discussion was held in a hybrid format, connecting the Monosas Yoyogi office with online.
The first contact was through an interview by the BtoB team.
--How did ULSYSTEMS and Monosus meet?
Sakamoto : To answer the question of "How are other companies using their websites?" from B2B companies, we interviewed more than 600 B2B companies in total and compiled the results into a "corporate website operation status report" and used the information as knowledge when renewing websites. This interview was also the first time we came into contact with ULSYSTEMS.
Ogata At that time, I remember Monosus telling me that their past projects included large-scale projects producing 2,000 to 20,000 pages, and that they were also in charge of projects worth tens of millions of yen.
Ulsystems' Ogata (left) and Fujikawa (right)
--Did you remember that and ask Monosus to do the work?
Fujikawa Actually, we started by contacting major production companies and had meetings with several companies, but we all said, "It just doesn't feel right." We couldn't decide for a while, so we extended the selection period, and then we contacted a company called "Monosus."
Tatsuta Is that so? I feel a bit jealous (laughs).
Reasons for choosing Monosus from among the many web development companies
-After comparing and considering several production companies, why did you choose Monosus?
Ogata When I joined the company as a public relations officer, the first thing we had to renew was the corporate website. After searching for a place where we could ask for a relatively low budget, we asked a freelance web designer. The design wasn't bad, but they just made it based on the rough sketch I made in Excel. Even though I said "I want a professional opinion," I was dissatisfied with the fact that they just made the design based on my rough sketch.
Next, when we renewed our recruitment website, we asked a different production company to do it. This time too, we said, "What I'm going to provide is a rough draft, so I'd like you to provide your expertise," but the specifications we received were still rough. In both cases, the work was solid, but they couldn't "think together" as we wanted.
So, this time I approached some well-known production companies for advice. It turned out to be a very complex and lengthy project. First, I was told to do a three-month consulting phase.
Nishizawa They said, "First, let's think about a business strategy in the consulting phase," but I couldn't imagine anything beyond, "We'll create a nice website based on that." I wondered whether the consulting phase was worth the estimated price they gave me.
Ogata Of course, I understand that such an approach is necessary depending on the size and positioning of the website. However, I wonder if it is necessary even for the size of our company. For example, I don't think the number of pages will increase several times. Do we still need to start with a business strategy? However, I also thought that even if we asked a production company that has a very cool design but no logic at all, we would just be repeating the same mistakes.
Nishizawa I was beginning to think, "No matter where I ask, it won't make a difference." As a project manager, I was in the position of having to meet the deadline, so I was pressuring them by asking, "How long do you have to choose?" When Ogata and Fujikawa said, "We need about another month," Monosus was brought to the table.
Fujikawa When I said, "I want to talk to someone involved in production before making a decision," Tatsuta-san came forward. The fact that I thought Tatsuta-san would do it was also a deciding factor. I made the same request to several companies, and some of them said, "I can't provide a producer at the proposal stage."
The challenge of "not submitting a design proposal first"
--When selecting a production company, you can hold a competition. Isn't a competition more efficient than meeting each company one by one?
Fujikawa Our requirements were not yet fully understood enough to warrant a competition. On the other hand, Monosus was able to properly understand our requirements, put them on paper, and provide us with a proposal, even in that situation.
Monosus Tatsuta
Tatsuta We proposed to Ulsystems that we divide the process into a "design phase" where we get to know your company and draw the overall picture of the site, and a "production phase" where we create it in detail. In competitions, they say, "We want the design at the proposal stage." However, at the proposal stage, we only have secondary information such as the current corporate site, company guide, and articles found by searching. We don't want to create a "hastily designed" design based on that level of information, and I don't think that's good for the client. It's definitely better to get to know the client deeply, draw the overall picture of the site, and share it before designing. This time, we put our thoughts together in a proposal and presented it to your company, which was a big challenge for us.
Some of the materials used in the proposal
The fact that your company chose us because of our proposal method gave us a lot of confidence. Now, we proudly communicate the process we believe is necessary to create a good website: "We don't create designs at the proposal stage. We create them only after getting to know your company well."
Uematsu That's the kind of proposal we were looking for. Because we're a consulting company, we're very interested in the process - the approach, the steps, the output.
Nishizawa The steps taken to translate abstract discussions such as "What kind of company is ULSYSTEMS?" into concrete designs were very convincing.
--Specifically, how did the renewal process proceed?
Tatsuta First of all, we had about a month to get to know ULSYSTEMS during the design phase. During that time, we got to know what kind of company ULSYSTEMS was, and it became the seed for us to think, "It would be good to have this kind of design and this kind of content." In particular, the materials that Ogata-san prepared for us to explain things were very easy to understand, and the quality and quantity of the initial input was really good.
A project carried out entirely online amid the COVID-19 pandemic
--Since this project took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings were held online.
Tatsuta The first time I met him was about 4 or 5 months later, during filming.
Monosus Kawarazaki (left) and Hata Mine (right) participated online.
Kawarazaki It was probably the first time we had designed something through online meetings alone, but it turned out to be a good experience. Each time, we shared the design data on screen, and they pointed out anything that looked strange, so it was really great to have them check the corrections on the spot.
Nishizawa It was a very fast process. I think we were able to save about four or five meetings.
Kawarazaki Up until now, whenever we presented a design, we would often be told, "Okay, we'll check it by next week," and it would be postponed until next week. This time, we were able to get a response from Ogata-san right then and there, which had a synergistic effect, and I think the process went smoothly.
Uematsu Mr. Kawarazaki, have you ever thought, "I wonder about that?" in response to Ogata's comments?
Kawarazaki When I submit a design, I show what I think is the best, but after making corrections based on Ogata's comments, there were some parts where I thought, "Yes, that's one way of thinking about it," so it was very helpful to have him point it out.
Nishizawa I watched in suspense as Kawarazaki responded to Ogata's comments with, "Hmm, I see." But he would immediately respond with, "So, is it something like this?", and Ogata would then agree and say, "The original is better after all."
Kawarazaki I thought it was a good thing to have them look at a different pattern and then decide, "This is the best one after all." In my recent work, I've been using this experience to hold meetings where they can look at revisions on the spot.
Ogata Even when I was in a panic during the implementation check, Hata Mine-san said, "It's totally fine. Let's do it properly," and followed the procedure to ensure quality. When I said, "I'm in trouble," he was very sympathetic. I realized halfway through that he was a really nice person.
Hata Mine Although our response was delayed in some areas, I'm really glad that we were able to release it.
Can't production companies manage projects?
--Mr. Nishizawa, I understand that you are a project management professional. From your perspective as a project manager, how do you evaluate this project?
Nishizawa from Ulsystems
Nishizawa It was very easy. I basically believe in the principle of human nature and I always start projects with the belief that "people don't meet deadlines." This time too, I gave detailed instructions at first, but after I realized that I didn't need to say anything, I stopped saying so much. I'm a good person at heart, so I don't want to do that kind of thing...
Everyone lol.
Ogata From around the second meeting, Nishizawa began praising Monosus, saying, "Monosus is recording even comments that are unfavorable to their company in the minutes and trying to take control of the situation themselves.They're doing a good job."
Uematsu from Ulsystems
Uematsu When I work with production companies on other projects, I sometimes have a lot of trouble because they don't meet deadlines. But Monosus is completely different. I was so surprised to find out that there are production companies that can manage projects! I think it would be easy to work with Monosus, so I hope to continue to get along with them in the future.
--I'm starting to get a little worried because I've only heard good things about you (laughs).
Sakamoto During an online meeting, someone said, "Tatsuta looks bad through the screen" (laughs).
Uematsu When I watched him on screen, Tatsuta looked like a really bad person (laughs).
Monosus Sakamoto (right)
Because I have an image of the finished product, I can make proposals with confidence.
--Were there any difficulties you encountered while working on the project?
Ogata We pride ourselves on doing a good job that is comparable to the largest IT consulting companies in the industry, but our website did not communicate what sets us apart from our competitors. In addition, ULSYSTEMS is focusing on mid-career recruitment, but we received feedback such as "I don't really understand what the company does even after looking at the website" and "It's hard to explain the company to my family." From a recruitment perspective, a website renewal was also an urgent issue.
Fujikawa Monosus reinterpreted the differences between us and other companies that we had not been able to fully communicate, saying, "Looking at it from the outside, this is what makes us ULSYSTEMS unique." Although some of that differed from what we had in mind, we discussed it again and decided to go with this, and I think we were able to narrow down what makes us different from other companies and incorporate that into our new website.
The revamped Ulsystems website. The top page has been changed and three different messages are displayed.
Tatsuta: We have a page called " What is Ulsystems ?" and I remember getting a reaction of "Oh!" when I presented the second draft. When we proposed to create this page, we had to be prepared to struggle and suffer together.
Nishizawa I felt that there were similarities between us in the way he approached his work, leading to our "Wow!" reaction. Although we work in different fields, I think the fact that we have similar approaches to our work was also a factor in our being able to have good discussions.
Tatsuta I think I can now do sales for Ulsystems (laughs).
Sakamoto At one point, Tatsuta made a comment that made me think, "Huh? Are you an employee of Ulsystems?" (laughs).
"What is ULSYSTEMS?" page. Expressing what ULSYSTEMS is like through images and text.
Communication generated by a website that shows the company's "face"
--What difficulties did Monosus face?
Tatsuta I think I made it difficult for everyone when I asked them to write the manuscript for the " Project Case Study ". However, I had the image that "this will definitely be good content once it is completed", so I asked them to do it with confidence.
Uematsu During that meeting, I couldn't help but stay quiet (laughs). But Tatsuta-san said, "It would be better if we had one, wouldn't it?" so I felt that he wanted us to take ownership of the renewal and work on it.
Fujikawa : I was having a hard time writing the manuscript, and I was worried I would get in trouble, so I asked Tatsuta, "Would it be okay to postpone the release of just the case study pages?" He immediately replied, "Let's not do that."
The "List of Project Examples" was a great success for everyone at Ulsystems. At the time of its release, 12 articles were uploaded.
-What kind of reaction did you receive both inside and outside the company after the release?
Ogata: I received feedback like, "I saw it," and "I thought our way of thinking was similar." I heard some people say they showed it to their families and talked about it, so I thought that's how people look at the site.
--It seems that Ulsystems also looked at the Monosasu site and found Tatsuta's article.
Ogata I started looking at the Monosasu site quite a bit from the middle of the process. I also found Kawarazaki-san's article. I think that being able to show your face like this increases the definition of the company and has an impact on recruitment.
--Hearing your story, I feel like this was a truly happy project. Thank you everyone for joining us today!
After the roundtable discussion
Our BtoB team believes that "if meetings are not enjoyable, we cannot create a good website." Meetings are a place to think and discuss. If we are gloomy and depressed, we will not come up with good ideas and the discussion will not progress.
The meeting with Ulsystems was a really enjoyable time. I'm really grateful for the atmosphere they created. All of the Monosus members looked forward to our weekly two-hour regular meeting.
The renewal release is the goal of the project, but it can also be considered the starting point in terms of producing results from the site. I would like to continue to work with Ulsystems to develop this site. (Tatsuta)
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BtoB WEB Method
SUGIMOTO Kyoko
Freelance writer. Since autumn 2016, she has been serializing ``Kamiyama no Musumetachi'' in Hinagata, in which she interviews women who have moved to Kamiyama.