Summary
In the struggle to attract and acquire new customers, adapt to technological advances, and respond to changes in customer behavior, digital agencies also face a major challenge: delivering innovative and scalable solutions for their clients.
Backbone, a digital agency with a presence in three countries, turned to Expresia, a cutting-edge Digital Experience Platform (DXP) that revolutionizes how agencies handle client projects and redefines the future of digital solutions.
The partnership empowered Backbone to create, manage, deliver, and optimize digital experiences across different touchpoints and channels for its clients, while also enhancing operational efficiency and project outcomes.
Client Information
Backbone is an international full-service digital agency founded in Vancouver, Canada. In 2010, it opened an office in Athens to serve the European market. The agency specializes in innovation, helping companies increase their online revenue through digital strategy and consulting services, custom web and mobile design and development, and content creation and marketing services.
Expresia's Edge
Backbone, originally Backbone Technology (BBT), was founded in 1999. Their innovative journey led them to develop Expression in 2005, a precursor to the groundbreaking Expresia platform, which featured Managed Cloud Services and propelled research and development at the Backbone Data Center.
Between 2010 and 2015, BBT expanded its global footprint with new offices in Athens (BBT Europe) and Bogota (BBT Latam) while simultaneously launching Expression 2.0, a complete overhaul of the original code. In 2020, Expression was established as an independent entity, and Global BBT merged to form Backbone Digital. The final step in Expresia's evolution came in 2023 when it became a fully independent company.
The creation of Expresia has been nothing short of transformative for Backbone. Nikos Koutakis, Chief Technical Officer of Backbone Greece, has been intimately involved with Expresia's development for years, with his office providing invaluable feedback throughout the process.
This firsthand experience has given him deep insight into Expresia's strengths, particularly its flexibility and sustainability, which are highly valued in agency projects. However, Koutakis is quick to point out the significant challenges faced when working with platforms that lack Expresia's technological foundation.
In his words, "Especially from my perspective as CTO […], all other solutions need maintenance and constant supervision. There are also security issues to worry about. And, of course, I don't want to get into the topic of interoperability because that's a major issue as well”.
“Many of these older solutions and platforms don’t have the unified RESTful API as Expresia. It’s a completely different philosophy", he added.
Koutakis emphasizes that Expresia's features, such as the cutting-edge headless CMS and powerful eCommerce capabilities, have empowered Backbone's team to build digital products that are not only robust but also highly adaptable to the ever-changing needs of the future.
This adaptability is a key differentiator for Expresia, setting it apart from traditional platforms and providing agencies with the freedom to expand their offerings without being hindered by technological limitations.
Beyond its feature set, Expresia's managed infrastructure effectively addresses the security and maintenance concerns that often plague digital agencies. By taking on the burden of critical backend operations like server management, security updates, and scalability, Expresia liberates agencies to concentrate their energy and resources on what they do best: crafting exceptional digital experiences.
"The stability and scalability of the solution are the true indicators of technological value," Koutakis asserts. "We have different clients demonstrating Expresia's ability to handle hundreds of thousands of daily requests, showcasing its scalability." This underscores Expresia's robust infrastructure and its capacity to support websites and applications with high traffic volumes.
Furthermore, Expresia streamlines the onboarding process and significantly reduces the resistance often encountered when introducing new systems to agency clients' teams. Koutakis explains, "Expresia has significantly benefited Backbone in two primary ways. First, it has streamlined the onboarding process for new team members, providing a structured path for training and knowledge enhancement. Second, when working with technically proficient clients, Expresia's unified platform eliminates concerns about integrating multiple projects developed on different platforms."
Customization is yet another key advantage that Expresia brings to the table. The innovative Expresia My Business platform empowers agencies to create bespoke operational workflows for their clients.
"The stability and scalability of the solution are the true indicators of technological value [...]. We have different clients demonstrating Expresia's ability to handle hundreds of thousands of daily requests, showcasing its scalability."
Nikos Koutakis, Chief Technical Officer of Backbone Greece
"This is a very big benefit because you can then create workflows specific to staff members in specific departments, and it addresses their need," Koutakis elaborates. This personalized approach ensures a unified experience for all team members and drives improvements in procedural consistency and overall performance.
Expresia's robust infrastructure and API-based usage effortlessly handle high traffic volumes and conversions, making it ideal for managing the demands of seasonal fluctuations or high-performance digital projects. This capability provides agencies with the stability and reliability they need to thrive without requiring clients to invest heavily in additional infrastructure or expand their IT staff.
The relationship between agencies and their clients extends far beyond the initial project delivery, and Expresia is committed to providing comprehensive ongoing support and maintenance. This commitment ensures the long-term success of digital solutions and fosters strong, enduring relationships between agencies and their clients. Expresia's unified solutions enable agencies to provide efficient support with a leaner team, accomplishing more in less time and maximizing resource utilization.
In conclusion, Expresia has proven to be an invaluable asset for Backbone, empowering them to develop hundreds of projects across diverse sectors, including education, hospitality, restaurants, yachts, luxury jets, sports, recruitment, cookware, and packaging, to name just a few.
With Expresia as their trusted partner, agencies and clients are well-equipped to achieve their digital transformation goals, paving the way for a future filled with innovation, growth, and sustained success in an increasingly digital world.