Saffron Edge

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of dkspecialties, Inc., a company that sells and advertises thousands of specialty items.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

Our previous partner had a switch in leadership, and their work became unsatisfactory, so we needed a new partner to manage SEO and other digital services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have tens of thousands of items on our site, and they’re extremely different from one another, so we needed to targeted SEO on a limited budget. Saffron Tech began optimizing our site and then told us that it would be better if we updated it because it was nearly 10 years old. We agreed, and they updated us from PrestaShop to Magento.

Once we moved to the new site, Saffron Tech then created categories and subcategories for our different items to keep them better organized. Now, as our partnership has grown, Saffron Tech manages our social media, hosting, maintenance, and design. They work with our umbrella organization and are highly involved with our internal team.

What is the team composition?

We were in touch with about four team members.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We searched for an SEO partner for a long time. When we found them, they came to our office for a meeting and then help subsequent conference calls. Their price was good, and they seemed to know what they were doing, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2017–July 2018.

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

The SEO is working perfectly, and Saffron Tech is just doing finishing touches to make our site run faster. We’re able to track who uses our site, what they’re looking at, and where they’re from. Our clients say the new site is wonderful, clean, and easy to use.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept us involved at all times and emailed us whenever anything came up. If there was a problem, they’d jump on a conference call to resolve it immediately.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We weren’t an easy project, but they did excellent work. Where other firms disappointed, Saffron Tech exceeded our expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and president of a real estate rental company in New York.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

The site I had wasn’t detailed enough and needed updating. I hired them to build a new site from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process was very involved. They built the new site from the ground up and added pages where tenants could download and sign leases. They were careful to ensure everyone’s information is protected and the site is secure. They also added a page for each apartment and included pictures and information.

They changed everything about my web presence. I kept the original site for a while to make sure everything worked properly, but have switched to the new site completely now. They’re currently maintaining the site, which is much more involved than my previous one.

What is the team composition?

I dealt with a client relations manager, a team leader, another developer, and then a variety of other team members.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

They came to me. I was renting apartments to them that they used for visiting employees. One of those tenants pointed out that my site could be improved and explained why. Everything they said made sense, so I hired them to build the new site.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We were in communication before we started working together in February 2018. They finished development in July 2018 and still provide site maintenance.

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

The site hasn’t been up very long. They completed it while I was away, so it went live when I got back. A major landlord across the street from me looked over the site and told me it was the best real estate website he’s ever seen. He was really impressed and asked who built it. All the comments I’ve had so far are very complimentary.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I knew nothing at the beginning, but they figured out everything I needed and managed the whole project. I spoke with them by phone or occasionally in person. They asked questions and got the information they needed to make the site work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were amazing and involved in the whole process. They built a beautiful site and the end results are fabulous. Sometimes it took me weeks to get back to them, but they never got annoyed with me and were always very patient. Other people told me some of the things I was asking for were impossible, but they accomplished all of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; any delays in the process were because of me. I can’t put how nice they are into words. No matter what I wanted or asked for, no matter how long I took to get back to them, they were there for me. They told me that whenever I was ready, they would be ready for me.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We enable digital billing at restaurants to eliminate paper waste, customer waiting time, and to collect data on customers. I am the founder of the business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We didn’t have any technology founders. We all had a business mindset and knew what product we wanted, but we didn’t know how to build the product ourselves. We needed a tech team and also a company that had a proven track record of building products in a timely manner, that also helps the company scale.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted four things specifically made. We wanted a website, an iOS and Android app, and a backend restaurant dashboard that would work as a CRM and a boss at the restaurant. They first came in to discuss the project and learn what our business is about. Then they started making designs of the website, apps, and dashboard. Once the designs were done, the development team began working on the product itself.

We were always able to monitor the scope of work and see overall product growth. It was a very seamless workflow and timelines were always successfully met.

What is the team composition?

There were about 15-20 people we worked with, all on different teams. We worked with web development, iOS, Android, and .NET developers, the design team, and a few SEO people. There was also a project manager and a customer relationship manager.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We had a few mutual contacts that have worked with them and we were also able to meet the founder.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $50,000–$60,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have worked with them from February–July 2018.

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

The largest tech conference in Asia just happened a month ago and out of the 8,000 to 10,000 startup companies, we were 1 of the 75 startups selected to pitch on the stage. We are also currently piloting in a few restaurants and most of the feedback has been positive. The application seems to be running smoothly. Their technology has greatly scaled faster than what we anticipated.  

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We received a weekly report of how many people were invested in the project and what were the next steps. We were updated frequently, we always knew what the upcoming tasks were for the next week, and we would find out if those tasks were completed.

They used Asana to assign tasks, the project manager was easy to reach, and there was communication across the boards if big changes were made.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had previously worked with another tech company before and had to leave them because their results were unsatisfactory. This company was willing to accept changes. Even though a lot was changed from the initial scope of work, they were still able to meet deadlines. I can’t see very many companies doing that, who work in the same space. Their adaptability to change is something that they are good at and their response time is much faster than others.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their practices differ from other companies that are located in India but that’s really what sets them apart from everyone else.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Night Light Designs. We’re a group of photographers, but instead of just printing our photographs out, we place them into night lights. We sell other products as well, but our main focus is on night lights.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

There were a lot of issues with our website, especially on the admin side. I wasn’t able to do a lot of things I wanted, even simple things like changing a paragraph on a webpage—everything was hardcoded in. I was looking for more flexibility and wanted to add products to the site that weren’t on it previously.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They changed our site over to WordPress and migrated over about 4,000 images and products. They also built some custom functionality for us to deal with custom order issues, and coupon and gift codes. They also created a tool that lets people see how the image they chose would look on a night light on the website—a kind of simulation.

What is the team composition?

One of their WordPress engineers has been doing a lot of the legwork, but we mostly deal with their project manager. In total, we’ve worked with three people.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We get a lot of emails on a daily basis, and when I became serious about this project, I started to look through them. If I was interested, I reviewed their websites and read reviews, and then would speak with them. I went around with bullet points of some of the things I wanted, and how I wanted them to work, and that seemed to scare some people off. They were more interested in throwing a WordPress site together without a lot of custom functionality. Saffron stepped up and said they could handle it and actually made suggestions to take it even further. That convinced me that they were going to be the best people to deal with.

How much have you invested with them?

My budget was around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January until July 2018.

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

I haven’t rolled it out officially, so it’s hard to comment, but I love the way it looks. My wife has been acting as my test person since I’m too close to the project, and she’s loved how it easy it is to maneuver between the different pages and know exactly what she’s looking at.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a lot of meetings - usually at least two a week, which was a little bit of a challenge since I struggled with Skype. They came up with some alternatives that worked out well though.

Also, they've had a spreadsheet that's been my go to. Any time there's an issue I log it onto the spreadsheet and then they comment on it as well. I can track any issues I’ve had along with their response time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In hindsight, these guys have taken everything I’ve thrown at them—and it’s been a lot—with a smile. They've really been responsive to everything. I like the suggestions they came up with. I felt like they weren’t pushing to get this website done and move onto the next job. They said numerous times that they could rush it out quicker, but they wanted it to be great and wanted to do everything I wanted. Even though they could've rolled out sooner, they were willing to make the little changes I wanted. That really made me feel like they were out to give me a good website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we first started, there wasn't an easy way to track some of the issues; I'd send an e-mail and wait for a response. When they realized what I was coming back to them with, they started putting the spreadsheet. The emails lasted a couple of weeks, and that was the only moment where I was confused by what was going on. They took care of it quickly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a used-smartphone platform. We started off primarily as a wholesaler and we are effectively a B2B wholesale marketplace.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We needed a presence on the web and through apps. As we were moving towards the marketplace business, we needed help from someone who had done that before.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us think through our marketplace and what the product would look like. Their team helped us determine how we could make sure we were still relevant once one person had completed a transaction with another. They mocked up designs and examples of how other people had solved similar problems. They were also the ones who developed our website, apps, and backend infrastructure.

One of the biggest things they’ve done was to make an integration with a live inventory platform. That platform is connected to around 15 wholesalers. As soon as they make a purchase, their inventory becomes available to us and our systems are linked. Saffron setup pricing rules, given that each one of our wholesalers wanted different prices. Sellers can set up rules based on what markups they want for the products, shipping costs, and so on.

We try to manually make the markups, in large part because we don’t want to provide visibility into everything. Saffron built a mini internal CRM for this purpose, which is highly-customized to how we operate. We're hosted on Amazon Web Services.

What is the team composition?

We only have one internal person for IT management. We rely on Saffron to manage everything for us.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I’d known Gaurav (Business Head, Saffron Tech) for a long time, from past healthcare projects we used to run.

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget was $40,000, based on milestones.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around August 2017. They’re still working on a couple of things for us, including the platform used by our partners. We also have an ongoing maintenance agreement with Saffron.

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

Our revenues have tripled over the last three months and we’ve established ourselves as an expert in the market. Their platform played a big role in helping us scale as it automated a lot of our work and it has given us the resources we needed to function. We had never previously been able to service those vendors, given the grading that they needed. We currently know what each one of our vendors is and what their grades are. Saffron Tech helped us capture data that we would have never been able to capture otherwise.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use project management tools. We’ve had clearly-defined guidelines, but also made a lot of changes over time. I’ve been happy with the experience. We’ve been able to communicate with them all the time. Much of the work happens in their New Jersey office, in the same time zone as us, so we’re able to call them easily.

We’ve had a couple of issues with the platform, but when we called them, they logged in and gave us a short-term fix. They’ve been very good partners. We wanted a custom solution instead of a ready-made one, and we wanted to build it using a partner that would provide maintenance, rather than just disappear.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They communicate clearly and use simple words. Simplicity is often one of the most underrated factors. The most frustrating thing for me is to have someone troubleshoot work started by another person. With Saffron, I am confident that the people who started the work are still the ones working on the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know what platform or technology I’m currently using. Perhaps they could help educate me on this front, but I don't mind at all. It’s been a good experience working with them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Saffron Tech is an end-to-end platform shop. Clients can ask for anything they want, and the team will find a way to help. For me, this has been the best way to work with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the editor of My Mobile Publications Group, a company that manages the magazine and online space in India.

For what projects/services did your company hire Saffron Tech?

We needed to revamp our web presence to have greater international appeal as well as make it SEO friendly.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make sure that our website was at an international level in terms of design, aesthetics, and searchability. We also wanted to get ahead of our competition.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them via a professional reference and examined their past work.

Describe the project in detail.

My Mobile Magazine is India's oldest and most popular print magazine on mobile devices, gadgets, accessories, industry news, reviews, policies, interviews, opinions, etc. Our old website wasn’t very modern, so we wanted to strengthen our web presence in order to maintain our leading position in this space.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a team of four to work on our project.

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

The new website is a significant improvement in terms of design and web presence. Visitors and page views have increased significantly since its launch, and we’re now getting daily emails expressing appreciation for the website and its content.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There were a few challenges in the beginning but once the two teams were on the same page, the work went on seamlessly. I was really impressed with their technical competence, dedication, and cooperative nature.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team takes individual responsibility for the project and is ready to go beyond the brief to accomplish the task to the client’s satisfaction.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their project development team and business team need to work more closely together in understanding a client's requirements, which will help expedite project delivery.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a travel search and comparison company.

What challenge or opportunity were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

I hired Saffron to develop native applications for iOS and Android and set up the API with third-party vendors.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the apps from scratch over several development phases. First, we established the wireframes and designs. We would hold weekly phone meetings to get everything adjusted to exactly how I wanted it and map out navigation within the app. Second, we worked on designing the prototype, fixing bugs, and sorting out the API.

Some of the key features of the apps include custom contact forms with drop-down menus, a GPS parking feature, and a profile that can include a personal photo. They also included the ability to reset passwords and log in through vendors on the backend for ticket and flight booking. We are continuing to work on incorporating push notifications as a part of our marketing strategy.

What is the team composition?

I work with around four team members. There is a designer who worked on the layout and graphic design, a senior developer who oversees coding, a customer relations manager who I communicate through, and a project manager that makes sure everything I want is getting completed.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I found them on LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

I have spent $35,000-$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is ongoing. We began working together in May 2017, and they are still developing the Android app.

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

We are still waiting on user metrics, but they have done great work. They are consistent at staying within estimated timeframes, and anytime there is a bug they fix it immediately.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Even though they are headquartered overseas, communication has been great and I receive close to twenty-four-hour assistance. If I have an issue I contact their office in New Jersey and it is immediately passed along to the right person.

We mostly communicate using Asana, but we will use Skype for live meetings and sometimes WhatsApp.

What do you find most impressive about them?

They definitely focus on their business relationship with the client. There have been some things I asked them to do that they could have charged me for but decided not to because they want to establish a strong relationship. I found that impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since we have some different business customs, they could work on better understanding our business traditions, i.e., the way Americans communicate and some of the things we expect to get done.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CFO of an e-commerce electronics company I've managed since 2013.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech provided SEO services for our company, as well as building us a new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The development process involved building up the site from scratch. They calibrated it to operate with Magento and generally optimized the entire page. Improving the graphics and world outlook helped showcase our offerings and encourage customers to make purchases. Our major focus was on adding and deleting products to our e-commerce store. They developed our product base, which we had created in-house.

Once the platform was completed, their team was also responsible for our marketing efforts, including SEO. These services included post per click management, Google AdWords, and Google keyword optimization. In order to reach our target audience, they linked relevant phrases and keywords that make it easier for our company to stand out from the competition.

What is the team composition?

Four to five resources worked on our project. We had a product manager, a developer, and a marketing professional involved, as well as one person who oversaw the whole team.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We found Saffron Tech through an online search as we looked for the best company to provide SEO and site development. They were ranked in the top five for their services, and their reviews were very positive.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between approximately $25,000 and $32,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together between July and August of 2016. About a year later in July 2017, once we saw the maximum benefit from their optimization services, we ended our engagement and started utilizing in-house services.

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

Our customers are situated in an online world where everything's constantly changing. Saffron Tech helped us adapt to current trends in customer preferences. So far, we've had good one-on-one in our customer base. Optimizing our keyword strategy helped our company generate more revenue. We saw a 30% increase in sales between 2016 and 2017. The growth we experienced due to their work helped us implement an effective process in-house. If I were ranking them on a scale from one to 10, I'd give them an eight.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was held via Skype and phone conversations between project managers and parts of my IT teams who were working with them. They work on US timing despite the time zone difference, and were available from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. our time.

Our main challenge was clearly conveying our needs, because they reside in the other part of the world as us. What we wanted to achieve was often slightly different than what they were working on. Some things seemed to get lost in translation in our email exchanges. By the end, however, both teams had improved. They ultimately did a good job of fulfilling our company’s requested work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cost-wise, they are better than other providers. Our expansion in productivity exceeded what would have resulted from investing the same dollar amount in a U.S.-based company. We've gotten more hours of work and more resources at a minimal cost. They offer a good quality service at a competitive price point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Improving communication would mitigate hesitance between the two parties and improve the workflow.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Symbiosis, a company that deals with technology logistics.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

I needed them to assist in developing an Android and iOS mobile app with a PC backend.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started off by giving me a consultation on my app idea. After that, they helped me develop the wireframes. They contributed ideas for changes that could be made to ensure the app is high-functioning and flows well.

Because my app is a communication system of sorts, one of its key features is allowing users to communicate offline. They’re in the process of developing that feature for me now. They’ve also done some graphic design work for the app, and they’ve provided marketing insight and strategies for its launch.

What is the team composition? 

I work primarily with six people — the project head, lead developer, and head of billing, as well as three developers. I communicate with the first three on a weekly basis, whereas I don’t communicate directly with the developers, though I met them in my initial introduction with the firm.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I spoke with about 15 to 20 developer firms about the project expectations, timeline, and prices. I went through several rounds of discussion and negotiations, and throughout that entire process, Saffron remained persistent and continued to check in with me. That impressed me, so I decided to partner with them because I felt confident I would have a dedicated team.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested approximately $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began partnering in September 2017, and we’re about three-quarters of the way finished with the project. I’m in discussion with them about future projects to partner on.

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

Though the app hasn’t launched yet, they’ve provided me with a downloadable prototype that has allowed me to get a better idea of the final product. The app is very aesthetically pleasing, but most importantly, everything works. I haven’t had any technical issues with what they’ve given to me. It works well and reflects all of my ideas and expectations.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate primarily through email and phone. Though they’re based off-shore, they work around my schedule. Their client relations manager is based in New York, so we’re able to have Skype meetings when necessary.

For each project milestone, they provide me with a complete hourly breakdown, so I know what they’re working on and when. They give me weekly updates on their progress. If I have any concerns, I can reach out to their head developer and anticipate a response within a couple of hours. They definitely cater to my needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them is that they’re very hands-on with the customer and extremely hardworking. I have three major points of contact, and they’re all active in providing me with responses. I feel reassured that I’ve hired a team of people who are very dedicated to my project. I have not experienced any hiccup in communications or backlogging in their work. They consistently achieve deadlines — often several days early.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very satisfied with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t underestimate smaller developers — they’re often extremely hardworking and will go above-and-beyond to achieve your expectations. They provide you with a closer relationship to their team, and you feel confident you’re being taken care of and getting your money’s worth.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I co-founded Trika Method, which is an online service offering instructional video series on body, mental, and spiritual health. We also host in-person events and retreats.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

As self-described ‘yogis from the woods,’ we had very little experience to draw from. As a result, we needed external guidance around building a website and supporting social media.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first met them in India and brainstormed options based on existing wireframes. Next steps included customizing backend design while refining additional frontend wireframes. Since I am not a web designer, I relied on them to implement concepts and provide alternatives.

They integrated a payment gateway system letting users pay us directly when booking retreats, which eliminated third-party hosting fees. Since the system accommodates our business model as a membership-based service, we also requested that it accommodate referral code and pay processes.

Other integrations included Wistia, a video hosting service, and MailChimp for email and newsletters.

The team also added features to enhance community aspects. The online community forum allows users to talk to one another and there’s a dedicated space for webcasts, which we plan to utilize soon.

What is the team dynamic?

Their team comprised two project managers, 2-3 staff, and a website designer. The first project manager oversaw the project’s initial stages and the second focused on development and functionality. I interacted directly with three people during development.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

They appeared in the top seven results of our online search. We spoke with the team and felt their expertise made them a good match.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in February 2016 and is ongoing.

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

We completed the soft launch, but will not have statistics before the hard launch. Customers familiar with our brand prior to the soft launch reported positive feedback on the website’s functionality and visual appeal.

Recent tests yielded few minor issues, all easily resolvable. Overall, the team fulfilled our vision.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

The team worked diligently to finish by the deadline. They volunteered overtime and weekends to achieve a timely completion. Their willingness to go the extra mile showed a great deal of care only expected from close friends or family.

We communicated using email and Skype to discuss content but used tools in Google Drive to track progress. They offered software to store my hardcopy sketches, but I declined.

Although they were adaptable and well-organized for sudden changes, the team needed occasional reminders. Miscommunications were preventable with better notes and follow-up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s expertise was impressive as well as their initiative to understand our product. I appreciated their personable approach to realizing our vision; they were genuine and open to ideas no matter the complexity. They were very patient with a technological novice like me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

With a little more organization the team would have been flawless. We ended up requesting a number of changes during the website's development, which required more attention from the team to stay current with regular updates. We would have no complaints if they improved in this area of service.