Saffron Edge

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Hoosier Families, a non-profit organization of a child and family welfare service. We work with children and families that are involved with Department of Child Services due to different types of abuses and neglects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We needed a solution to allow our workers to be more efficient with regard to the paperwork process. We decided to develop an iPad app so that they could submit everything right there with the client.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an application to allow all of our workers to submit their forms via an iPad, as opposed to meeting with their clients, going home, and completing paperwork on their laptop. It allows the client to sign off on those documents to ensure that our caseworkers are present at that time.

During development, they would send proofs and multiple options for the app design. They also created a backend system to allow us to review those documents, which we are then able to approve or reject, and send them back to the caseworkers, all via their app.

During the process, they kept me updated on the status of the project. Once everything was completed, they had multiple testers go through the app, using all the functions in multiple different ways to check for bugs. That solved many potential issues to ensure that the app didn't have any bugs. Once it was finalized, we were able to implement it very quickly. It only took two weeks to implement the app once completed, which was great.

What is the team dynamic?

Vinay [Kumar, Saffron Tech] was the project manager and he was my point of contact. If I needed anything, I could go to him. But in all reality, any time we sent emails, we just sent it to the entire team and had multiple people emailing back. Subash [SEO Engineer, Saffron Tech] was our tester and the main programmer on the iPad app side. It was a team effort.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I found them through online research. I contacted multiple companies, but Saffron responded to me with a phone call instead of an email. We were able to build rapport right there on the phone. I explained my needs and they provided a quote. They guaranteed that they could do what I needed, and everything worked out.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly around $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from April to October 2017. After releasing the app, they’re providing support. If we find any bugs or we need something updated, they'll get it updated for us. Our last contact with them was a couple of weeks ago to have them update the wording on one of our forms.

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

All of our workers say that they have a lot more free time in their day because they're not required to go home and deal with paperwork on their own time. They get paid for the time that they're actually with the client.

On our end, on an administrative side, everything has been efficient. Our backend system made our process so much more efficient than before. We had an issue with a signature line once, but we just sent them an email and they took care of it within 24 hours. We update the wording for certain things for liability purposes, but that's it.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I was introduced to the entire development team. We had weekly phone conversations with the project manager and the rest of the team to get my insight and for them to ask questions on the design. The engagement was ongoing mostly through email, but we also had phone conversations.

They worked during my time. We had to create an Apple developer account with my Apple ID. Whenever you try to sign in with an Apple account, you would receive a code, and they would need that code. They would give me a call during my hours. We never had any issues there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and the fact that there wasn't just one point of contact. I was able to contact anybody on the team. If I did have an issue, I felt confident that I would be able to go to them and get things taken care of instantly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of. I will probably use them again for another project very soon.

Advice for potential customers?

I didn't have ideas about how I wanted the app to look, but they were able to help me with that. There were different elements that I wasn't sure of and that extended the time of the project. It didn't add any cost, but they used their professional experience to help me dive into little details that you would never think about. Think about what you need, try to map it out to make their job a little easier.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business developer of a company specializing in a diverse range of e-commerce products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We wanted to create a better web presence and optimize the different brands that we're working on.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re pretty diverse as far as what they do. We're using them for development, different design structures like logos, and marketing services.

One of the marketing projects that we had, prior to this point, was around 160 working hours monthly (40 hours a week full-time). We work with a team of 3, there are 2 overseers and a full-time developer. That seems to be how they set things up.

They're doing a lot of Magento, which they’re definitely familiar with, but they’re also capable of handling custom PHP and traditional setups. We've done a little bit of PHP with them, but I would assume they have even deeper skills.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We found them via online searches. We pooled the different people that ranked well and communicated with each of them until we narrowed down our choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think the earliest we started working with them was in September 2016. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

Overall, we’re pleased with them. They definitely have great staff members, and their structure is organized. We rarely stumble on any big headaches.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Primarily, we use common resources for communication (Skype and WhatsApp) to stay in touch with them, but I know that we'll be touching base in real-time. We do have a trip planned to meet with them, but I don't know when.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

They’re young and hungry for growth and have the right organizational structure in place to make that practical for them. They know how to complement the client’s business.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

They're usually slightly ahead of schedule. Maybe once in a while—and this is nitpicking, honestly—I expect a response that’s a little delayed, but they're never late. We have no complaints on our end.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a small health supplement business in Phoenix, Arizona.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We hired Saffron Tech for their marketing expertise. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were thinking about SEO and paid search (e.g. pay-per-click [PPC]). I wasn’t sure how to choose the best means of advertising. I wanted to start with a smaller, easier website first, and I didn’t know if PPC, social media, or a combination was the best way to get started. I was looking for an agency that could cover both sides and grow their involvement as that particular business line grew. Saffron Tech also manages our social media marketing [SMM].

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I did a Google search for the top marketing businesses. I realized that advertising is truly big data, and I wanted to turn it over to someone who was more skilled at analyzing micro clicks at different times of the day. I interviewed probably 4 or 5 of the biggies. Saffron Tech seemed smaller, but I liked them the best.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

I’m going to have to go back and do some calculations. I’ve increased my ad budget as the site improved. Budgets certainly vary, but I think the least you’d be able to spend for PPC, such as Google AdWords, would be $35 a day. Of course, you can do $1 million a day, if that’s the size of the business you run.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we’ve been working on marketing for about 5–6 months. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

In all honesty, for this particular line of products, advertising on social media yields far better results for the weight loss line than PPC. I’d have to look up the actual metrics, but sales and visits to the site are certainly up. Likes are also increasing. We started small with social media, and it took on a life of its own. Saffron Tech's contribution to our likes certainly has been to my benefit.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve had a lot of phone calls with Saffron Tech. I did not realize initially that they were in India with a 13.5-hour time difference. They made our phone calls convenient for me and my time zone, which would have been in the middle of the night for them. It’s fairly easy to communicate because of my own schedule. I'm someone who simply doesn’t sleep. If the day ends in a “y,” it’s a workday. I’m awake at 3 a.m., which would be 4 p.m. for them. Generally, when I send an email, they responded quickly. If I send a message at 3 a.m., I know that at 3 p.m., they’re probably up.

In terms of social media, they send a list at the end of the month of every upcoming post to my Facebook pages, so I know ahead of time what to expect and what each of those posts will be. At that point in time, I can provide input if I want to make changes.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech is a great group that’s eager to make sure I achieve my goals. They’re eager to make changes, eager to please, and attentive, but they’re still willing to listen to my input.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

Nothing comes to mind at this point.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

Be involved with your agency. Don't turn something over 100%. Even though Saffron Tech is doing all of my marketing, don't allow any business to manage every aspect by themselves. Understand the process so that you can participate. If you want to use social media, learn how they advertise so you can have an intelligent conversation and know how to track improvement. Don’t adopt the ostrich technique of “I guess it’s working.”

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Helios Energy Group. We're an acquirer of renewable and clean energy assets in the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

Helios was formed in 2008, and we started looking at developing the business in 2011. Ultimately, we decided to put that on hold until 2016.

We’re a startup, so our goal was to get a website as quickly and economically as we could to give our prospective clients and partners insight into our services, distinctiveness, and expertise.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saffron Tech handled development of the website, as well as the design, layering, and tech stack. They also finalized the graphics. For the setup of the site, they gave us 4 different outlines to decide between. We customized each of those a little and started loading some content. That has really taken our time.

The work is an iterative process. At first, we started with the overall design and layout. As we write the text, we often need to tweak a few things. Also, as they load the text, we get to see different parts of it come together. They played with different layouts and fonts to make everything cohesive.

The website is relatively simple and informational. At some point, it’ll be a little more interactive, and we’ll include an investor section and login area, as well as a newsletter.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

They were referred to me by a colleague who was developing an e-commerce website, which was a lot more complicated in terms of B2B and B2C technologies.

Based on our earlier research, we started talking with various providers. We knew our pricing and content goals. For small companies like us that are trying to save costs, providers can be pretty spotty in terms of service, but Saffron Tech offers good customer service, is willing to work with us, and is very economical.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

We’ve spent about $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The timeline has been approximately 3 months. Most of the delays have been on our side since we’re responsible for the content. We plan to continue to use them alongside our other vendors. Antares in Massachusetts does all of our IT work (including email), and Intermedia handles our hosting and will also host the website.

This website is certainly going to evolve over time as we continue to acquire projects and update information. Also, in terms of the organic evolution of the website, we’re going to keep growing our investor relations. Having the consistency of steady vendors is important to me. I like to keep the same level of quality by using a single shop and having them data dump on the hosting entity. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The website is still in progress, but we've loaded 99% of the tech stuff, including some of the project summaries that I sent them earlier today. In terms of glitches, the only issues are on the coding side. The website works pretty well on my PC but not on my iPhone. We just need to keep playing with the coding to make sure that everything flows.

We're a case study in simplicity; our website is informational as opposed to interactive. For what we hired them to do, Saffron Tech did a terrific job. We’re pretty satisfied.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is organized well, and different people come in at different times. They had the client service people in the beginning, defining the scope of the project. They handed us over to people who did the layout and put together the coding. They haven’t exited yet. Then, we meet the guys who are loading the content, making sure it flows well.

Saffron Tech sends everything to us through a secure portal so we can view it, play around with it, and make changes as needed. We're continually tweaking the layout to make the content flow better, so we have an interactive approach between our groups. Finally, we’ll move into QC soon. Once that’s finished, the site will have gone through the paces of a bunch of different platforms, which should remove all the glitches.

Are there any areas ISaffron Tech could improve?

No, we're pretty satisfied with them overall. Sometimes, the language barrier can be difficult, but we've communicated mostly via email.

The first layout they gave us had a section for comments, which didn't work well. It was clumsy but nothing earth-shattering. That wasn’t their fault; it was more due to the system that they were using. I sent them an email with a bunch of notes, and they made the changes that we needed.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

If you're on a tight deadline, have your content ready to go. We weren't in an incredible rush, so we could take our time, play around with their designs, and see what worked. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing member of a SEO agency in Arizona.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

I often have a lot of work that’s really time-consuming, so I was looking for a business that could help me offload some of those projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

By using Saffron Tech, I’ve been able to offload some of my more time-consuming work, which allows me to market my business and bring in more customers and ultimately more revenue. Most of the work I’ve had them do has been related to SEO and web and process development.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I have high-level training and I wanted my work done in a specific way, so I wanted to find a business that was open to being trained. I also wanted a personal connection with the business I selected, because I wanted them to take pride in their work and ownership of the details.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

I can't speak to the cost range, but Saffron Tech works, on average, between 30 and 60 hours a week.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with Saffron Tech for about six months, and our work is ongoing. Everything is transitioning well, and I’m finding I'm able to offload more and more work onto them, and I’m comfortable that it will be completed.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had an increase in traffic to my client sites since I’ve started working with Saffron Tech. I think the highest traffic increase is probably 30 percent, which obviously makes my clients happy, because they have people that then come in and purchase their product.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m satisfied with IT Chime's project management. They communicate well and do a good job at reporting and keeping me abreast of new developments. I have one point of contact who makes sure everything gets completed properly, which makes collaboration so much easier; I don't have to juggle different people with different projects.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

I’m really pleased with Saffron Tech. They’re knowledgeable and technically sound, and they’re willing to consider new ways of accomplishing things.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

Everybody can always improve, but off the top of my head, I can't really think of anything that Saffron Tech could do differently.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

Establishing trust with Saffron Tech took some time in the beginning. I was more comfortable with them once I saw that they were doing the work the way I wanted them to do it. Communication is important. Like with any business, you have to tell them how you want things, and everything improves as that process is honed in.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a sports gear company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

I wanted to find a company that could use SEO [search engine optimization] work to increase our search engine ranking.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saffron Tech is managing all of our SEO, and they’re also doing some social media work for us. We had an e-commerce website built on Magento that had a lot of crawl errors, and Saffron Tech fixed that for us. Saffron Tech also handles our Google AdWords.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We had originally hired a company in North Carolina to build our website, and it was a disaster. I found out that this company had actually sub-contracted another firm in India to do the work. I then did some research and found Saffron Tech. We had several interviews through RingCentral, and I really liked what Saffron Tech had to say.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

I cannot disclose that information.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started with Saffron Tech in January of 2017, and the work is ongoing with no plans to stop.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Saffron Tech is doing a fantastic job. Their work has positively impacted my business.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Saffron Tech has a goal for every single day. I get an email at the end of the day which breaks down exactly what they did to achieve that goal. Saffron Tech is really good.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech gives me daily reports showing improvements in our site’s Google ranking, as well as a comparison with our competitors, and they explain everything.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

I imagine there are always areas for improvement; however, Saffron Tech is doing a great job compared to the company I dealt with previously.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

I would recommend clear and frequent contact with Saffron Tech.

Please describe your organization.

We are Collar Search, an India-based company providing recruitment services for the US market. We have a big team catering to all kinds of industry positions, including healthcare, IT, mechanical engineering, financial, and so on. Our specialized recruiters are focused on filling clients' needs according to job descriptions.

What is your position?

I am the director of operations for the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We needed to develop a new database.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Saffron Tech developed our solution using ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL Server as a database. The platform allows us to update specific candidate details, and make Boolean searches through resumes.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech is the development arm of one of our partner companies.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of Saffron Tech's work has been between $30,000 and $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Saffron Tech in January 2013. The relationship is ongoing. We have worked on multiple projects with Saffron Tech.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Saffron Tech's work hasn't required many changes. We had a clear idea about the database type we needed to build, and gave Saffron Tech a requirements list. Once this was done, Saffron Tech delivered the work on the first try. They are very good developers.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Saffron Tech's team has been very responsive, on-time and productive. Whenever we asked for a change, it was delivered within deadlines. Saffron Tech stands out in terms of both development and communication.

We have worked with one project manager from Saffron Tech. He was very approachable and maintained good communication. Whenever we sent him an email, he responded quickly.

What distinguishes Saffron Tech from other providers?

Saffron Tech is a very collaborative group. We have kept in touch with 2 people from their team, a manager and a developer. They came to our office and got a sense of the problem we were facing. Saffron Tech is approachable and has good coordination abilities.

Is there anything Saffron Tech could have improved or done differently?

No. Saffron Tech's team and managers are very approachable.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with Saffron Tech?

Clients need to elaborate project specs based on their needs, in order to have Saffron Tech work on it more effectively and reduce the chance of functionalities being missed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a New Delhi-based tech company. I am the CEO of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We initially engaged with Saffron Tech to get our website up and running. We have worked with Saffron Tech on multiple projects for various customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saffron Tech developed our website, and also provided organic SEO [search engine optimization] and pay-per-click. We needed to take care of our complete online presence, including Facebook and LinkedIn marketing. Saffron Tech also took care of this. 

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I found Saffron Tech via Google and discovered that their CEO was an old friend.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

The cost of Saffron Tech's services has been $15,000 to $20,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Saffron Tech in 2011.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Many companies provide similar work to Saffron Tech, especially in India. However, I haven't found the same level of quality and commitment that Saffron Tech provides. Rather than having to tell Saffron Tech what I want, they've often been in the position to tell me what I want. Saffron Tech has the necessary acumen to understand exactly what I need. 

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

I find Saffron Tech to be well organized.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

They understand the customer much better than other companies I've engaged with. Saffron Tech is more involved in the process, compared to others.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

I have no suggestions for Saffron Tech.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

I would simply advise customers to work with Saffron Tech, go with the flow, understand their directions, and be open-minded. Saffron Tech has some crazy ideas which should be listened to.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company was founded 3-4 years ago in Dubai, in order to tackle the very high youth unemployment rate in the region. We're a job portal connecting university students and recent graduates with different employment opportunities in the region. When it comes to users, we have 2 very broad sets: candidates and employers. 

I am the product manager of the company, handling everything related to technology.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

When our company was started 3-4 years ago, we were looking for a technology partner that could come in and walk us through best practices for developing our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saffron Tech has been our technology partner, helping us build the platform from the ground up. Whenever it comes to any questions about moving forward or making upgrades, Saffron Tech acts like our consultant.

We were creating our platform from scratch and had a general idea of what needed to be done, but when it came to specifics and alternatives, Saffron Tech acted as a consultant/chief advisor for our company, suggesting the best technology practices for us to move forward. We were given use cases against which to measure what we were looking to do.

Saffron Tech helped us with the design and development for the first iteration of our site. We handled its design ourselves for the relaunch in 2015, but Saffron Tech handled everything from development to testing.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

Our co-founders had a very good idea of what we wanted to achieve as well as a budget in mind for what we were looking to do. Based on these factors, Saffron Tech was chosen as the best solution.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

The annual budget for Saffron Tech's work is around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our company started working with Saffron Tech 3 years ago. They are still working with us. The work we do with Saffron Tech is done through continuous development projects that are broken into different phases.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Saffron Tech has gone above-and-beyond. They're an honest and ethical team, so dealing with them has always been easy. 

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Saffron Tech has remained available during any unforeseen issues, even over weekends. Their project managers have always worked hard to obtain the resources that we need for our project.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech's upper management met us in person at the start of the project, in order to talk to us about our requirements. They were knowledgeable enough to let us know about any problems, which we could encounter and suggested more practical alternatives. In general, Saffron Tech has been clear about our expectations from the start.

I haven't dealt with many other companies which were as flexible as Saffron Tech when it came to wanting to change certain tasks  in our scope of work..

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

Saffron Tech could improve quality testing.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

Clients should ask many questions. Saffron Tech is a knowledgeable and ethical group, so they can address any doubts about moving forward, in terms of both the technology and the business needs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner and one of the partners of Scarlett Ryan Consulting. We are a boutique marketing agency located in central New Jersey that specializes in small to medium sized companies. I am also the online project manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We do a lot of the content and creative side, and we wanted someone to do the backend development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reached out to Saffron Tech to be the development arm of our website business and they did our first website. When I began to talk to their staff, I realized they had a lot more to offer. We’ve started to use them for SEO and they pretty much write the proposals for me, which is amazing. I just need to edit it, print it, and hand it to the client. They have done some design work when I didn’t have time to give them any visuals. They came back with some great artwork.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech contacted us and I decided to hire them for 1 project. I liked what they did with the first project so we started giving them more work. As we got to know the team, they wanted critical feedback because they want to get better at how they serve their clients.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

The average project they’ve completed has been around $1,000 to $1,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project 6 months ago, and our relationship is ongoing.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Saffron Tech programs very cleanly. I have worked with other companies where the developers leave a lot of space junk in a WordPress website. If they don’t understand something, they’ll get clarification instead of guessing what I want. I have customers that are extremely happy because the product was exactly what they wanted. If I find an issue after we’ve paid for and taken possession of the work, Saffron Tech they will take care of it. Also, the Saffron Tech team is great at customer service.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They have dedicated teams to the graphic design, backend coding, and Internet marketing, so you know who to contact with questions. They are on Skype and we can see who the person is and make sure that everyone understands what we’re asking for.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

My account manager at the top of his Skype profile says “Mistakes are an opportunity for us to serve our client better.” That attitude has made me a devotee of Saffron Tech.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

They need to make their conduit software for project management easier to understand, especially for non-technical clients.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Saffron Tech?

You need to have a lot of conversations up front to understand how they are set up. Then, you can utilize Saffron Tech to a much better capacity if you have that understanding from day 1.