Cross Link International

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a digital marketing company. We provide website design, digital marketing, SEO, social media marketing, and other services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cross Link International?

In UAE, it’s very difficult to get a trade license. This means a normal person has to get a lot of external approvals for opening my kind of business. That was the reason that I approached Cross Link International.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cross Link International has been helping me with each step of obtaining the license to establish our company. In the first meeting, they explained the process to me. They gave me a breakdown of the amount that was required to get the license.

Then, the second breakdown was regarding the employees and me. I then went to their office and had a face-to-face meeting where they explained everything about opening a trade license. We had to book the trade name in Dubai and then get an initial certificate from the government.

The next step was obtaining a UAE sponsor. Cross Link International helped me get a good sponsor. We then had to pay for the trade license and after that, the company was completely registered under UAE law. We then went ahead with getting a visa for myself and my employees, and then we needed to get an immigration card from the Ministry of Labor. Cross Link International is helping us with all those steps.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the owner and a marketing person who also helped me a lot. I was also in touch with an admin person. There are two other individuals who have been involved.

How did you come to work with Cross Link International?

One of my friends recommended them to me. They said Cross Link International is a good company, so I went to their website and saw they had a lot of experience. They’ve registered a lot of companies in the UAE. The owner of the company is also from my country, so I trusted them.

How much have you invested in them?

I’ve paid 5,000 dirhams (approximately $1,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began speaking with them in December 2019 and the work started in January. Things were on hold and delayed due to the pandemic as the government stopped the service of issuing licenses. We have an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done everything well for me and their service is good. The license is valid for one year and then I need to renew it. Our visas are good for two years and after that, they’ll need to be renewed as well.

How did Cross Link International perform from a project management standpoint?

They finished the work within the deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cross Link International is flexible. There were money transfer issues because I had to take money from India and transfer Indian rupees to their Indian account. They’re very adaptable when it comes to payment. Their team helped me a lot when it came to my staff obtaining their visa medical tests. Cross Link International came to pick them up, brought them to the medical exam, and then dropped them off.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they could automize some services like having software for updates, that’d be great. For example, if we’re ordering something through a courier service, we can track where our product is during the delivery time. This type of online tracking would be very good for their customers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend Cross Link International. They provide a good service and have a lot of connections with government entities all over the UAE. They’ll do whatever is applicable. They’ll help anyone opening a company in UAE or looking for flats or houses. They helped me get my internet and phone connection, which was an additional service.