CIENCE Technologies

BACKGROUND

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Scaled Outbound
• Lead Generation

SOLUTION

• Good value for cost
• Promised elements other companies lacked

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

• Shut down one tool to launch new software without creating proper alpha and beta versions to test out with clients and customers. 
• Many technical issues with their data platforms - some that never worked at all. 
• We feel that their team never used any of the data metrics collected to shift their strategic approaches or change up the messaging. 
• In the 6 months that we held this engagement, not a single Marketing Qualified Lead came through the doors despite countless hours and creating and editing playbooks for them to use for strategic outbound efforts. We saw 0 ROI. 
• Upon expressing our major concerns and disappointment with their platforms, their response was to extend our contract with them on a platform that either did not work or showed ZERO results.

• On the initial sales calls they should not have pitched us a tool that we would not continue using. They terminated their contract with the "proprietary ABM tool" they had implemented at the beginning of our engagement in favor of a "custom built AI tool" (that ended up being ChatGPT) that did not prove to be fruitful. 
• Some of their platforms never even worked. 
• They should have used the data that was collected about targeted contacts to tweak their messaging and alter their approach. We do not believe they utilized the data to do any of this and there was a lot of hand holding that our team had to do. 
• We spent hours creating playbooks for CIENCE to use as a guide during their work. This was such a waste of time considering the results of this engagement were abysmal. No leads were collected, and we saw 0 ROI. 
• Our stressed out account manager broke down over the phone about the stressful working environment and our "team of experts" dwindled down to just her and an SDR.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I'm an executive at HireInfluence

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Influencer marketing for the world's largest brands since 2011.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CIENCE Technologies to accomplish?

• They didn't accomplish anything other than spending our budget.

SOLUTION

How did you find CIENCE Technologies?

Online Search

Why did you select CIENCE Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from CIENCE Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The goal was lead generation. Hard sell upfront, and didn't deliver. Their technology is not reliable, ROI tracking is insufficient, their service as a whole does not produce results. We requested to dissolve the relationship and cut our losses since the budget was being wasted with absolutely NO leads, but they refused. I would not recommend, as there are much better options out there.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

There were no measurable outcomes, as there were 0 results. Hard sell upfront, and didn't deliver. Their technology is not reliable, ROI tracking is insufficient, their service as a whole does not produce results. We requested to dissolve the relationship and cut our losses since the budget was being wasted with absolutely NO leads, but they refused. I would not recommend it, as there are much better options out there.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We had meetings, but ROI tracking was obsolete. We requested to dissolve the relationship and cut our losses since the budget was being wasted with absolutely NO leads, but they refused.

What was your primary form of communication with CIENCE Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

There was nothing about this company that was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something CIENCE Technologies could have done differently?

Yes, many. Their technology is not reliable, ROI tracking is insufficient, their service as a whole does not produce results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software development and staff augmentation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CIENCE Technologies to accomplish?

• Lead Generation

SOLUTION

How did you find CIENCE Technologies?

Clutch Site

Why did you select CIENCE Technologies over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from CIENCE Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We hired Cience based on the reputation here on Clutch. Our goal was to generate leads based on campaigns with Linkedin, Email, and Phone Calls. It was said that in the first 20 days, they would work on the ICP, Personas, and Playbook, and that there would be specialists helping the team to create those materials.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After 6 months of working together, we had 0 (ZERO) meetings. Some meetings were scheduled, but the contact didn't appear or canceled minutes before the meeting. We had some calls with "experts", but all they did was try to push for another 3 months' renewal, saying that "we are almost there". When they sold to us, they also said there would be a Quality Assurance Team monitoring the calls, but we had the worst experience with the calling team. 

Our internal team had to help them notice some simple things, such as the script not being followed, or almost sounding like threatening people on the other end of the line. At the end of the day, all they cared about was to keep renewing the agreement with the company I work for, always with half-truths and false promises.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They did not deliver anything useful. Working with them was a waste of time and money.

What was your primary form of communication with CIENCE Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They can really sell half-truths and make false promises to keep you renewing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something CIENCE Technologies could have done differently?

Perhaps their methodology work for some businesses, b2c probably. They could be more transparent that sometimes they don't know what they are doing. Want to really know if they are good? Ask to talk to a customer in a field related to yours that are using them for more than 6 months. They have none.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the a manager at a software platform. We provide companies with detailed NPS data across a range of customer journeys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CIENCE Technologies, and what were your goals??

We needed to outsource our outbound marketing/sales efforts in order to generate new leads within a specific list of target companies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We chose cience based on their capabilities, affordability, and reviews.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

We provide Cience with a list of companies to target within a given industry. They then conduct research and identify contacts at each company with relevant titles. Once we approve the contacts, we work with Cience to create a calling script, email cadence, and LinkedIn messaging campaign. Cience deploys all channels, and hands us new meeting requests.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We work with a Sales Development Manager who leads strategy, a Project Manager and a Copywriter. We meet with them bi-weekly but communicate regularly via email.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

Cience has generated an average of 1 meeting per week, working up their way to 2 meetings/week. Due to our limited target account list this has been very helpful to our business.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Our sales development manager has been proactive in sharing new ideas or ways to solve problems. They are extremely transparent. Cience has an online customer portal to view dashboards but unfortunately it has been difficult to use.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The playbooks and scripts have been very good. It took a bit of back and forth feedback but they have a solid understanding of our business and how to message it to prospects.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

It has improved in recent months, but Cience used to be fairly disorganized. Each account manager is assigned to way more accounts than is feasible, and as a result service sometimes suffers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of Orgwide Services LLC

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CIENCE Technologies?

We wanted them to provide outbound lead generation appointments to introduce our firm to learning and development teams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We tasked CIENCE Technologies with BPO services. We gave them a lot of documentation from the sales and marketing materials, including our target audiences and a list of targets we purchased in the last 12 years.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with a project manager, a security device manager, and around three outbound agents.

How did you come to work with CIENCE Technologies?

I found them online.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $25,500 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July–November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The few meetings they booked were ridiculously bad in terms of quality — not buyers, unemployed people, and some of them didn't even show up. Also, their email bounce rate was off the charts.

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

I'm disappointed and disgusted with their performance.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Their incomplete work could've been better because the meetings they booked were ridiculously bad in terms of quality — some of them didn't even show up. Also, their email bounce rate was off the charts. 

How was project management handled?

Project management was horrible.  They never prepared for our meetings and we went weeks without appropriate activities being done (which they admit!).

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

There wasn't anything that I liked about working with them.  Most impressive is their ability to make excuses.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Everything.  I can't think of one thing that they do well.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Run away - as fast as you can.  Do not waste your money.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of a B2B company providing technology and a marketplace for mortgage-backed securities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CIENCE Technologies, and what were your goals??

We hired CIENCE to generate appointments with prospects through email, phone, and social media outreach, as well as research our target audience to identify new prospects and contacts at those prospects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We met with four or five different vendors in this space before selecting CIENCE due to their sophisticated process and technology and integrated marketing/sales outreach approach.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

We provided CIENCE with a starter prospect list from our database which they enriched through their own research. We provided input material on our target audience and differentiators which they built into a messaging playbook covering phone, email, and social media outreach. We identified a do-no-contact list and plans to update it on a regular basis.

From there they began outreach across the 3 channels and within the first two weeks were generating meetings with interested prospects. We update the playbook with fresh messaging every few months, along with measuring and optimizing performance.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

Kseniia Korbut is our Project Manager and Kael Lindstedt-Bendt is our Account Manager. Both have been thorough providing their insights and taking our feedback to heart on an ongoing basis. Dave Phillips is our campaign strategist and has done an excellent job developing the messaging playbooks with our input.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

We just signed our first two deals that came from CIENCE's prospecting efforts! We're looking forward to more in the coming months as our sales process can be fairly long. Besides those successes, CIENCE generated 83 appointments, made 10,447 calls and send 11,610 emails so far in 2022.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They have an excellent client data portal that allows us to track their outreach efforts across the 3 channels nearly live - this has been super helpful and was a key selling point. We also have biweekly meetings and periodic strategy review/refresh sessions.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their ability to integrate staff from the US and abroad seamlessly provides competency, creativity, and value.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We've a few communication and process challenges earlier on, but those are in the rear view and were a necessary part of the ramp-up process with this initiative.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Marketing Specialist at Hirebook Technologies, I was part of the team that made up the Point of Contact during our partnership with CIENCE, participating in our sync up meetings as eventual speaker and taking notes of relevant information about results and the strategy in place at the time. Hirebook Technologies offers a SaaS for companies that want to improve the employee engagement while also facilitating a visualization and management of OKRs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CIENCE Technologies?

We were looking for a US based company that offered lead generation services with a solid background.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It took some time and thought to finally make the decision to go with CIENCE, since we considered other competitors in terms of pricing and reviews. In this case we picked CIENCE because they were also recommended to us by one of our partners and the difference in what we were going to invest compared to the other options wasn't that big a deal.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After the discovery meeting with their sales teams we were sold. We went on to proceed with the details of contract and payment to then move on with the on-boarding. They shared some questionnaires with us that we needed to fill out to share information about our ICP, expectations in terms of region, what we offered in detail, pain points and their respective solutions, etc. They then introduced us to their team that were to be their POC and SDRs, with whom we had a short training before they kicked off the outreach.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with an SD Manager, mainly, but their team was composed of a caller and an SDR that took care of emails, plus someone in charge of preparing their templates and canned responses.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We noticed a significant increase in our brand awareness in a positive way within our region (East Coast), while also saw some sales taking place with leads that were brought in by the CIENCE team. I couldn't tell an exact figure for how much our sales grew since it is not something constant and gradual but rather eventual and that takes some cooking to start showing noticeable results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had bi-weekly meetings that lasted for 30 minutes and some times a little more, where we coordinated any solutions to blockers that were faced along the way, and also went over the results from those 2 weeks in detail. It was a great opportunity to discuss directly with their SD Manager and have them relay adjustments that were needed to their team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment and passion to the service they provide showed everywhere in their work: their call recordings, their emails, responses, objection handling, their manager and during their meetings with us. Their high spirit brought positive results overall in all aspects of our partnership.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Some hiccups here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary for a lead generation company in today's market.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m Co-founder in a mobile app development company. We offer mobile app for on demand business

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CIENCE Technologies, and what were your goals?

For leading in mobile app like uber clones and gojek clone we gave many efforts but failed. After hiring CIENCE Technologies, we could increase our sales up to 40% in the span of 6 months and earn more revenue from US based traffic.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

CIENCE gives assurance of their services to gain potential clients by maximising the outreach with a multichannel approach to contact the right leads.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They described the project in detail and walked us through their service package, including any calling and live chat tools used.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked with a project manager who is very punctual and provides hassle free service to our firm. He is very polite and listens to every problem sincerely and all members try to improve all the way.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

At the beginning of the month, it was time-consuming to outsource what we wanted. But after some time we got our expected audience and generated maximum ROI. I recommend CIENCE for their commitment and hassle-free service.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The way they handle the entire project from the beginning is amazing. CIENCE team is committed with its timeline and give immediate solution of our problem

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive thing is their high-skilled team and personalised approach to solve any issues in a short period and making the right adjustments asap.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not at all

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Commercial Officer for a contract research organization . We provide biometric services for biotech and pharma companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CIENCE Technologies, and what were your goals??

Historically my organization used an internal team for lead generation services and I felt that team didn't have the same bandwidth as an external dedicated team could provide.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I had my own experience with third party lead generation teams and did a bit of market research. CIENCE was very diligent with their outreach to me as a potential client of their services and I was very impressed with that, knowing I would want the same effort applied to gaining new clients that CIENCE was demonstrating in trying to win my business.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

I am not sure what internal services and software CIENCE uses to create the lead lists but I do know that they utilize some elements of Google Ads to leverage our marketing materials and that piece was very attractive to me.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

I work with a Project Manager (Erick) and and Account Manager (Danae) directly and they both work directly with an SDR team that conducts the outreach.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

Initially, it took a bit of time to target the "correct" customer for us. We offer a very specialized service, so there was a significant amount of time that my team needed to work with CIENCE to get the message and target audience right. As a result, many "leads" were initially provided to us that were not the right fit and would not be candidates for our services.

However, over time that was adjusted in an iterative manner and now the team is producing high-quality leads at a rate of around 1 a week. Each week they also provide the metrics on the outreach and valuable KPIs to demonstrate their efforts.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They are clear communicators now, but initially there was some confusion and it took some time to resolve. The account manager was changed and I think that helped.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was most impressed with the access to a entire multi-disciplinary team for the services rather than just access to a couple of individuals that would be completing the outreach.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I think they probably need to consider additional streamlined solutions for scheduling that doesn't require access to outlook calendars.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior VP of business development and marketing at a strategic consulting firm specializing in implementing end-to-end technology solutions for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CIENCE Technologies?

We needed help with lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CIENCE is our lead generation partner and acts as our SDR. They work collaboratively with us on building outbound messaging campaigns. They also leverage multiple channels like phone, LinkedIn, and email to set appointments for our sales team to meet with prospective clients.

For every campaign, we first provide CIENCE with our ideal client profile (ICP) we want to target with the campaign. The ICP contains details about the type of company that would be a good fit for our services, including the demographic and psychographic information of those from a business level and an individual target level.

We also revisit the value proposition we can offer those targets. Then, CIENCE takes our input and our branding assets to put together our hypothesis on how we can help them. To create the campaigns, they also use case studies and past success stories to prove to those potential clients that we can help them.

After that process, CIENCE’s team develops a sales playbook, which is a fully-fledged campaign that goes cohesively across all of our sales channels. We then review the campaign and its execution plan, iterating on it until we approve it.

Once approved, CIENCE starts executing the campaign, involving a research team that helps gather the contacts and other people involved in calling, emailing, and LinkedIn messaging. As appointments come in, they introduce those leads to our sales representatives for us to run our sales cycle.

What is the team composition?

I have two main points of contact from CIENCE: an account manager and a project manager. Of course, their team also includes the people dedicated to calling, emailing, and messaging prospects, with whom we interact as needed.

How did you come to work with CIENCE Technologies?

I did a deep dive and reviewed a variety of lead generation agencies, and CIENCE stood out head and shoulders among the other candidates. I believe I found them on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with CIENCE, we’ve increased our monthly new appointments by over 500%.

How did CIENCE Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

CIENCE is extremely responsive; they usually get back to us within 10 minutes. Additionally, they’re very collaborative, and they accommodate their schedule to our time zone. Every week, we review their efforts and make the necessary changes. We use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, the Google Suite, and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CIENCE excels in two aspects. On the one hand, they custom tailor their entire service to their client’s needs, and they're very adaptable throughout the process. On the other hand, they’re very transparent about how they measure results and don’t try to use data to make them look good. We always know when things are going well and when they aren’t, allowing us to adjust our efforts in real time. Overall, they’re very data-driven and willing to adapt to ensure we’re successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more transparent you are about your goals, resources, and constraints, the more helpful they can be. Trust them in their process as the experts they are and treat them like an internal team so that they can effectively help you move forward.