Momentum Design Lab

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a health research organization as a strategic design and innovation manager. We’re a global health charity that funds lots of different initiatives and research in the health field.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

We were looking to understand how large employers, faith leaders, and ambassadors dealt with the pandemic in terms of finding information and connecting with each other about that information.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by understanding our problem and devising a strategy for us to develop user testing. They were amazing in terms of finding clients, employers, and groups to work with that were in a global position. We didn’t just deal with the UK, but with Saudi Arabia and Australia. Momentum Design Lab handled the interviews, and we worked directly with those clients to understand exactly how they were dealing with the pandemic at multiple levels within their organizations.

Beyond that, Momentum Design Lab developed visual prototypes of a platform that would solve those groups’ issues, and they tested them as well. We started with a web-based platform because it was easier, but they definitely suggested that we should go with mobile as well.

Large employers will use the solution at multiple levels: senior management, executive leadership, HR, and internal communications. It’s going to be used in faith-based organizations and with international organizations.

What is the team composition?

Mark (Managing Director) was the liaison and project manager. We also worked with a UX/UI designer that did some user testing.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

We decided to work with Momentum because they presented a strong understanding of the issue, asking many questions about what we were trying to find out. They were very thorough.

I searched for user design issues online, and Momentum came up. I was impressed after an initial call with Mark because he listened to what I was after. Their presentation was strong in presenting the problem and developing a fit-for-purpose solution. Their rates also stood out.

How much have you invested with them?

My team invested £70,000 (approximately $96,000 USD), and another organization put it another £25,000 (approximately $34,000 USD), so it’s around £100,000 (approximately $137,000 USD) pounds in total

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from May until September 2020.

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

The people in the user testing environment said the system was incredible and that it got to the heart of their issues. Additionally, they felt listened to with the design work.

Our metric was measuring the “wow factor” involved, as well as how Momentum Design Lab incorporated outside technology that we weren’t aware of. In terms of an evaluation, we couldn’t wait to work with them again, and I think that that speaks volumes.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

It was impeccable. I haven’t seen anything like it before. They kept us up to date without bombarding us, and they used the tools that we already used — messaging me on Slack and WhatsApp. The latter was for emergencies when they needed a response but I wasn’t at my computer.

They met all the deliverables on time, and when there were some issues with our timing in providing them users for testing, they went out and gathered the testers themselves. They knew the timeline was growing short, and they acted on their own.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever I spoke to Momentum Design Lab, they didn’t just listen to what I had to say, but they also thought about the user testing being done or the extra research they’d done. The fact that they brought all that into conversations without making me feel like I was losing control of the project was outstanding. I always felt safe in talking to them. They gave me everything I asked for and more.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are currently working on the third phase of the project, and we brought in another company to handle phase two. They didn’t present well for the second phase, as they didn’t focus purely on the problem. Rather, too much time was spent on brainstorming people they could connect us with. They tried hard, but they didn’t have the field-specific knowledge we were looking for. Finally, while the visuals in their products are fresh and new, the visuals in their presentation were a bit outdated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as frank as possible about what you can and can’t do, as well as what you’re looking to receive from them. They’ll exceed all expectations as long as they understand the problem.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of AR/VR programs for a medical technology company that provides AR/VR reconstructions for surgical panning, simulation, and navigation. Our clients also use these models for patient engagement and understanding.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

We’re updating our current UI to optimize workflows and make it more intuitive.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a workshop with us over a couple of days because we knew what our requirements were and what we were struggling with in our software. Then they quickly moved on to quick designs that we could continue to iterate. We’ve been working on development following a weekly sprint structure since then.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Jazmin (Director of Strategy & Client Service), Peter (Head of Design), and Fernando (UX/UI Designer).

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

We did some research online and found them on Clutch. We relied on Clutch reviews to make our decision.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project began in June 2020, and we’re still working with them.

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

They’ve given us a beautiful interface that is intuitive and user-friendly. They’ve really helped us achieve our goals. On top of that, they taught us a lot about how to think about design while keeping our user-base in mind. They even have helped us implement an internal frontend development team. They’ve provided a lot of valuable context as to what other companies are doing in this day and age.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t have the budget for a full discovery phase, so instead, they offered a flexible solution.

We have three meetings a week, but we also correspond with Peter on a daily basis on Slack, Basecamp, and email.

We’re pretty quick, but they’re even faster than we are. Jazmin as our delivery lead has been wonderful, and Peter has a lot of leadership skills that have been very valuable to support project planning. They always deliver early or on time and under budget.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand the nuances of our software and how it fits in with our business model. Our software is very technical, but they’ve gotten up to speed quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think there’s much room for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When starting a design project, doing some internal discovery can be very valuable. Interview stakeholders, so you understand the overarching goals for the project before you define your requirements.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a principal at a consulting firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

We were trying to create a digital experience for our clients, through which they could make better sense of the data they receive on an ongoing basis. We wanted a very user-oriented asset, and we needed momentum to help out with that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Momentum went through a discovery process to really understand our business, how we work with our clients, and what the interface is. We also did a 3–4-day workshop to explore and gain a better understanding of what outcomes we were trying to achieve. Momentum also met with some of our clients to do testing with real users.

Then, they went through an iterative and agile design process. They produced different wireframes, and we provided feedback. From the wireframes, they built clickable prototypes and the style guide.

What is the team composition?

In total, I worked with about five people, including a project manager, the CEO, and three designers.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

I actually used Clutch to find them. I didn’t find that there were a lot of good resources to find good reviews of design firms. Then, I learned my firm had already done some work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in February 2020, and we did a 3–4-month project. We just re-engaged them for another project.

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

I’ve done many different demos and presentations, and all of our clients love the design work that Momentum did. Their work is very compelling and seems to really resonate. We also got really good feedback from clients who did user-testing.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

I thought they were excellent. We communicated 3–4 times a week during the project. They used an agile user story management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they were just really effective at understanding exactly what we were trying to achieve. They took a somewhat ambiguous vision and translated it into a real working prototype.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could understand the federal market more.

Any advice for potential customers?

Articulate your vision of what you’re trying to achieve, and they’ll be able to take it from there.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the UX Product Manager for Matillion. We’re a native data platform for data integration in the cloud and data transformation.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Labs?

We brought them in to support  the growth and trajectory of UX. We tried to unify our value proposition as we launched a new product alongside our existing flagship product. We also created a plan for our sets of products and how to use them all together to create a user-focused journey.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We broke the project into the discovery phase and the design phase, and we approached them as two-week sprints. We did  a fairly robust set of research activities. We spoke to a lot of people internally to understand where the opportunities were, where the problems were, how we can help, and how we can apply that to our business. Then we outlined what the goals for our company were with these two products.  Then we uncovered who the users of the product was going to be. Then we started looking at the user journey.

During the design phase, we pivoted somewhat, and focused on a future project launch. We achieved a block frame and then brought in the fidelity of those designs through some wireframes, into prototypes, and into high-fidelity UI work, accompanied by the UI library. That was one of the first things our developers got their hands on and started working on the frontend.

The project was about how we could bring the products together to form a unified value proposition

What is the team composition?

There were three people all together. There was a principle UX designer, a mid-range UX designer, and a lead on the project.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Labs?

When I joined the company, they were already speaking with Momentum Design Digital. I just needed to qualify them and figure out if they would be valuable or not. The answer was obviously yes.

How much have you invested with them?

It was between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2019– March 2020.

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

One of the things that helped us most was devising the UX strategy, which included a hiring plan. We executed on that, and brought in some really great talent to the business based on their vision. They certainly helped bring up the quality of the UI. We also started to introduce different user research techniques that we hadn’t seen before, and now they’re a regular part of our process.

Finally, we’ve created a design culture, which would have been difficult to cultivate on my own. It’s much easier to have people of the same mindset inspire a new approach to product development.

How did Momentum Design Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled project management very well. I communicated with them on a daily basis. There have been very, very few instances when it wasn’t exactly what we desired. They were always able to remedy issues, and they put a solution in place.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The delivery of the final vision concept was the most impactful. To see all the insight and research we’ve put together, came together to create the fabricated piece of UI. It was our vision of the future.

The most impressive aspect was the level of rigor we were able to go through together. The thoughtfulness and the strategic implementation of UI/UX really stood out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That’s tough because we were all cooperating throughout the experience, and it’s on my shoulders as a manager as well, but we could have gotten closer to the users to gather more insight before doing anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important when creating the brief that many assumptions have been made. Draw more attention to those assumptions on your own side of things. Then you can iron those things out before they’re set in stone.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior associate at a venture capital firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

We wanted to create a crypto trading platform and needed someone to help us with design. There are other trading terminals out there, and what we’ve seen so far is that none of them have a very good, user-friendly experience. We hoped that having a better UI and UX experience in our platform would be the differentiating factor for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Momentum Design Lab to design the main pages of the terminal. They researched the industry and familiarized themselves with the supposed product we were building. We had about 10 interviews with potential users. We outlined what we needed done and what we were working on. 

There were a couple of phases after that. First, we did the black and white wireframes, which was low-fidelity work. Once we reviewed and approved those, we moved onto colored, high-fidelity wireframes. Then, we worked on UI. They provided us with all of the wireframes, user interviews, and insights from the engagement.

What is the team composition?

Jazmin (Director of Strategy & Client Services) was the project coordinator. She was our daily liaison. We had one senior designer and one junior designer. We spoke with the CEO at the beginning and in the middle of the project.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

They were introduced to me by our founder, who somehow knew of their work. I don’t believe we looked at any other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September–December 2019.

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

The impact of what they’ve done is yet to be measured. We were happy with their work. We liked the UI and UX.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was good. We worked pretty closely during both phases. We had calls at least 2–3 times a week. Communication was good, despite the time difference. They met timelines. It went really smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered quality work. The designer working with us wasn’t initially very familiar with our industry, but he got himself familiarized pretty deeply. The quality of work that he gave us will speak for itself.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there were no areas for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The project management is a two-way street. To have the project completed successfully, I recommend having someone from your side who can commit substantial time to the project. They will need to do things, but the quality and the timelines being met will also depend on your team as well. We didn’t have any problems on their side.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of OnPlan, a financial forecasting platform. We help companies generate budgets and financial plans.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Labs?

We had built an initial UI/UX for our product in-house, but it wasn’t flexible enough to meet the needs of our clients. It also needed an information architecture and fairly complex user interactions and workflows.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Momentum Design Labs started with a robust and involved discovery process. We looked at a number of comparable platforms and broke the interactions from sign-up flow to the onboarding process. We analyzed what we liked about those products’ elements — their grids, data integrations, permissions, etc. — and did a lot of competitive analyses.

Momentum Design Labs had some extensive interviews with our customers to understand what they liked about our software. They also conducted a number of in-depth interviews with me to better understand what we wanted to accomplish.

We started with the heart and soul of the project, which was our grid interface. We broke the project up into 35 pieces. For each piece, once we were comfortable with the wireframes, they put the design finishing touches on.

What is the team composition?

Momentum Design Labs assigned me a number of resources for design, project management, UI. It was a combination of four junior and senior resources.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Labs?

I’d worked with them previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from January until April 2019.

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

My most recent customer was in awe of the new platform. It does a great job serving its key functionality and making complex interactions more intuitive. Momentum Design Labs has changed our software for the better.

How did Momentum Design Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We had calls once or twice a week, and they showed us their progress weekly. They shared InVision wireframes, and we’d describe what was working and what we needed to iterate on. They had a clear weekly tracker of what hours we have, what we’ve used, and what’s left to do. They updated it every week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Momentum Design Labs distilled the complexity of a broad product and turned thorny interactions into elegant, sophisticated workflows. It required a lot of intellectual, conceptual problem-solving and getting up to speed on the unique nature of our business quickly, 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was super happy.

Any advice for potential customers?

Line up your hardest problems and most difficult interactions beforehand so they get handled first, not last.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a well-funded startup providing solutions to renewable energy companies. Specifically, we’ve developed a product in the UK whereby we provide data centers to wind farms. It’s only used when those farms have energy to spare and want to sell it. We pair them up with end-users of those computing resources. There’s a lot of hard engineering involved in doing this. We wanted what was essentially a computing product to look and feel like an easy-to-use power solution for utility companies, which generally don’t want to get involved in the world of computing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

Our solution involves providing an easy to use and easy to understand dashboard. We utilized Momentum to build this.

What was the scope of their involvement?

This wasn’t a standard UX job. I had some very strong views on it, and I understand UX very well. I engaged them in a very light version of the UX process. They wouldn’t be meeting any customers, as this was a brand-new product that didn’t exist in the market yet, and the underlying software was quite complex, with a lot of metrics, measurements, and financial data that would be presented to the client, based on the service we were providing.

We wanted to build something that was easy to understand and had a sophisticated look, like something Apple would make rather than a one-year-old company.

What is the team composition?

They had a team of designers based in the same office as us.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

Since they were our office neighbors, I asked one of their members how he’d go about the frontend aspect of what we were doing. It made sense to get the point of view of a neighbor, and we just got to talking. I liked their philosophy and approach to design. This was quite early on, but I knew there’d be some design in the pipelines at a later stage, so I kept them in mind. I got on well with them as people, and liked how they thought. I really wasn’t sure if the UX project we had in mind was large enough in scale for them, but we had a good fit and they gave us quite a bit of advice without us having signed a contract or paid for it.

The trust built from there. They made it clear that a lot of time is invested in the discovery phase, especially for UX projects, and we’d be paying for that. It would be difficult to know how good the output would be, especially if we had strong views on the quality to expect. That was a particularly big risk for us in the start. It became comfortable to work with them. They had thick skin and understood how to take criticism. They were never short on ideas, and we could tell that they went home at night thinking about what was next. They also had strong views on design as a field, and where it was going. They were passionate about it and kept up with the latest trends. It was very easy to trust their opinion in an area I wasn’t an expert on, which was very important to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £25,000 ($32,240 USD) on that project. That was a lot of money for our company at that stage, but we will be working with them on a bigger engagement in January 2020, knowing that we’ve covered some things already.

What is the status of this engagement?

It was a three-week project that was completed in September 2019.

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

Some of my investors keep a close eye on stuff, but a lot of the work done by Momentum wasn’t for wide distribution. We show it off to some of the largest utility company clients in the UK. They’ve generally been wowed by the high fidelity of this interface. It’s pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be. We’re a startup with a product that looks like something Apple or Tesla would’ve made, and that’s pretty much the reaction we’ve gotten.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good at staying in front of us. We paid them by the hour, but we had a work schedule. They did a good job of keeping transparency on costs and whether we were in line with budgets. Their team was very good about explaining to us what we needed to bring to the table to make sure the project stayed on track and expectations were met.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The designer was top-notch in terms of talent. Beyond that, I got to know some of the other people on the team, who weren’t directly involved in the project. They were just very friendly and easy to interact with. The personal relationship was very important to me, as well as being able to talk freely and critique, and to know that the business side of things was being taken care of.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of. I’ll definitely be working with them again, hopefully in January 2020.

I know that London is a satellite office for them, and they made an extra effort to build it. They’re doing a great job, and I have no critiques, really.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be upfront about expectations. Momentum is very good at managing expectations and will deliver what you want, but you need to communicate that well. One of the good things about them is giving us back what they think we’ve articulated. They try to make sure they fully understand what we want, and clients should take full advantage of that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and one of the founding partners of niido. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Labs?

We created a product that’s the first mover in the space. Once we realized this is something worth licensing, we wanted to make the product visible and marketable through UI/UX.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a long, iterative process. We collaborated over the phone and in-person for an information gathering and investigative project phase. They flew to our offices to discuss the scope and breadth of our product with our leadership team and product operators. From there, they went to the drawing board to create the designs. 

What is the team composition?

There were about five people on their team, including a salesperson,  project manager, lead designer, and several other professionals in the background.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Labs?

We considered several companies, starting our search organically online. Looking at vendor offerings and portfolios, we narrowed our selection down to Momentum Design Labs and one other company. We opted for them because of their work experience and style aligned with what we wanted. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent about $330,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project spanned from May–September 2019.

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

The UI/UX designs and functionality recommendations were absolutely phenomenal. We haven’t implemented them yet because we need to program and restructure the app before it can be launched. However, just from a surface level, we know for a fact that they did great work. 

How did Momentum Design Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They were definitely seasoned project managers, following a very precise timeline and workflow. We spoke with them about progress about three times each week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their diligence and hard work were appreciated. Even when we didn’t give them specific directions, they were able to extrapolate what we needed. They’re an intuitive team that took the time to understand our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The handoff between the sales team and the project team wasn’t as clear as it could’ve been. Some of what we wanted from them wasn’t shown in the final scope of the work, which was partially a mistake on our end. There were a few things we had to tack onto the end of the project, but I don’t blame them fully for it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that the project scope contains everything you discussed on the sales call before signing off. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management at Reltio. We operate a data management platform for handling customer data. Our team has been operating in the space for about six years. We’re a fast-growing startup and have received recognition for that.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

Our UI/UX had not been upgraded in about six years. The technology it’s built on does not have much adoption anymore and is relatively outdated. We wanted to modernize our UX.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first implemented our UI/UX, it was cutting-edge. However, six years later, the technology was out of date. We wanted the new experience to be much more sophisticated, making use of machine learning and modern APIs. It was also important that their work didn’t stop current operations on the platform. 

We wanted it to have a low impact on the platform’s current functionality. After our initial meetings where they provided pricing and a contract, they worked to provide a solution that met those needs. 

What is the team composition?

There were two people assigned to the project: one designer and one project manager. 

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

I was specifically looking for local partners that would require little coaching to understand our complicated project. I’d worked with Momentum Design Lab before, so I reached out. In our discussions, they gave us confidence in their abilities to do that.

They had industry experience that could add value to us. Their team offered strategic input on improving experiences, instead of merely offering upgrades and new features. They cared about user behavior. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve likely invested about $60,000 in their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March–September 2019.

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

They weren’t afraid to make some radical design recommendations that would stray away from our current approach during their presentation to staff and leadership. Their suggestions promised high impact and value for our company. That resonated well with our leadership team. 

For instance, in their work, they improved our search experience, which allows users to locate data on the platform. It seemed like a simple, primary aspect to the site, but they didn’t hesitate to revamp and elevate that UX. 

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

I never had to worry about managing the project myself. Our account manager handled setting up meetings, following up, and all aspects of communication. All I needed to focus on were the requirements. We had meetings every 2–3 days and were constantly in touch through Basecamp and Slack. In-person, we met 7–8 times in total. Many of those meetings were at their office for design workshops.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver quality results with professionalism. Their team is always staying honest, hitting their targets, and meeting expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was pretty satisfied, so I don’t have anything to critique. We would hire them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Prepare for your first engagement with them. If you have your ducks in a row, they’ll be able to do critical work without delays. In our case, we did the research and they handled implementation. That worked well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product director at an HR solutions company specializing in people insights as well as professional, training, and management services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Momentum Design Lab?

Initially, we brought them on to help us redesign an existing product based on user feedback. But, that grew into the articulation of a new product ecosystem. They helped us create a completely new product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the project, they presented us with a framework that gave us a glimpse of their typical process. We followed that, tailoring it completely to fit our needs. They designed, developed, and worked on data visualization for the redesign of one of our products. That was the original scope of the work. 

However, they ended up leading us through the entire development of a new product that is now one of our main selling points. They delivered a vision, promotional video, and landing page for the new solution.

What is the team composition?

In total, I worked with four of their teammates: two designers, a project manager, and a visual designer. For most of the project, however, I engaged with a core group of three.

How did you come to work with Momentum Design Lab?

I wasn’t directly involved in the selection of the team—that was handled by our UI/UX team. They created an inial split scheme that came down to two different agencies, and Momentum Design Lab came out on top.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost about $600,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February–August 2019.

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

It’s a little early still, but they’ve greatly benefitted our businesses. The product designs are still being implemented, but the internal feedback on the prototype has been very positive. In terms of the new product, early reactions to their deliverables from both customers and the internal team have been incredibly positive.

How did Momentum Design Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

I couldn’t have asked for a better project manager. They were so on top of tasks, making sure everything was going according to schedule. The team was super organized. We had daily standups and weekly in-depth meetings with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible in incorporating what we wanted into the project. For instance, we didn’t want to put personas at the forefront of our work. Instead, we wanted to focus on the jobs to be done with the product. They were quick with researching this change in execution, capturing it in the final deliverable using the language we wanted.

Overall, the effort was very collaborative. We worked in partnership with their very creative team to push our concepts to the next level. Our team gained a lot more from the partnership than expected. They were instrumental in the new product vision, clearly understanding our business and value add, translating them into strong product design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, I was happy with their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Engage with them as if they were an extension of your team. That allows for your relationship to build.