Saffron Edge

Please describe your organization.

Complete Controller provides accounting services to small businesses and households across the nation. We have a twofold approach, providing a hosting platform for books and records as well as services in the form of a bookkeeper and controller team for each client. Our team has been fully trained and vetted. They're also monitored by our company and are subject to peer reviews, ensuring that our clients have a great experience.

What is your position?

I am the chief executive officer and founder of the company.

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

We wanted to modernize our website and make sure that we were maximizing its potential for SEO [search engine optimization], taking advantage of the tools that are available currently. It had been built on a very old version of Joomla. The first step was adopting a modern platform.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Saffron Tech reviewed our old site and made a proposal for what the new one should look like, developing a solution that would be congruent with our brand, not deviating too far from our old page. It had received some feedback but, at the same time, needed to be modernized. Saffron Tech brought our old designs over, making sure that they functioned properly, going over a series of reviews with me.

Saffron Tech did a lot of back-end research in terms of SEO. By the time the new site was completed, we were prepared to launch into the SEO efforts, which was great. Saffron Tech was great in terms of timing and coordination, which is usually difficult to find in a vendor. As a business owner, I often found myself working as the project manager, which wasn't the case with Saffron Tech. This was one of the main things that impressed me about Saffron Tech's work.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

We researched various companies that had received awards for their work. I, my partner and our chief technical officer interviewed each of those companies, asked them for proposals, and graded them based on feedback, ability to communicate, depth of proposals, and what we could receive for our money, ultimately selecting Saffron Tech.

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

We expect to spend up to $10,000 this year for Saffron Tech's services, including our site build and monthly SEO and updates.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our site was completed eight weeks ago. The SEO portion of our project is ongoing. Saffron Tech also works with us on a monthly basis for site updates, which is very convenient because I haven't had to look for another company for upkeep tasks. I appreciate the continuity offered by Saffron Tech.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our traffic has improved, although it hasn't reached our goals yet. Since it was completed recently, it will require a bit more time to get traction. We are very happy with the fact that several different avenues are being used in order to encourage more traffic to the site. Saffron Tech has kept us informed about how we could help, in terms of creating content or setting up avenues that could link back to the site. We're definitely headed in the right direction, which is promising.

Other SEO companies that we used didn't produce significant results, even after three to four months of work. With Saffron Tech, we're seeing some forward progress. 

Saffron Tech has sent us analytics reports, but this is not something that I can decipher easily. For me, one of the proofs of the pudding is new business. We received a call from Florida the other day, which is not our home state. The client told us that they found us easily, which is what we're looking for. We have proof that our site converts. We just need to have more people looking for accounting and bookkeeping services to visit it.

How did Saffron Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

At the beginning of our project, Saffron Tech had a conference call with everyone involved, letting us know what the point of accountability was in the event that we couldn't reach someone or needed a project status report. We were kept informed throughout.

What distinguishes Saffron Tech from other providers?

At the end of a project, everyone will usually disperse and cease communication, but Saffron Tech 's principal made a point of calling personally and finding out from us what our experience was, where they could improve, whether or not we were likely to do business with them again, and so on. I thought that this was important, especially coming from a small business owner. He is aware of the strengths and weaknesses within his own team, so he will be able to provide excellent service in the future.

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

When our site first came out, the page clicks were slow, for example. We counted a few seconds before a page would turn. When I mentioned this to Saffron Tech, it was resolved. Anything that came up and created a frustration for us was fixed, which says a lot. Creating a great website is one thing, but hearing a client's problems and responding accordingly is also important. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a travel website based in Germany. We specialize in the Southeast Asian market. I am the founder of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Saffron Tech?

We were looking for a company to build our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saffron Tech was responsible for building our site from scratch. I had a large impact on the design, of course, but they did everything to get the site running.

How did you come to work with Saffron Tech?

I looked at multiple companies both in Europe and the United States, and all of their quotes were outrageously expensive. I found Saffron Tech through the internet.

How much have you invested with Saffron Tech?

The total cost of our project was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The timeline was about 6 months from 2015 into 2016. We plan to continue working with Saffron Tech for various search engine optimization and development services in the future.

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

The site is still very new, and we have not begun extensive marketing, so our traffic is still low. However, I feel very confident in the quality of the work Saffron Tech did for us.

What did you find most impressive about Saffron Tech?

Saffron Tech performed very well from a quality perspective, and I always felt like I knew what was going on and where the project was in terms of meeting our deadlines.

Are there any areas Saffron Tech could improve?

I think whenever you hire an offshore provider there are always going to be small things that get missed, or you have to do yourself. But that’s what you’re paying for by saving so much money.

Please describe your organization.

We are a full-service digital media company offering web development, search engine optimization, pay-per-click management, social media marketing, full blending, and so on. Our clients are based in the US and the UK.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company. Some of my responsibilities are looking after clients on a day-to-day basis, taking care of graphic design and web development jobs. I oversee everything that goes on within the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Chimes?

I needed resources for client web development jobs.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We outsource coding and web development to IT Chimes.

How did you come to work with IT Chimes?

I use multiple developers in India. I was looking for a new company and researched candidates which offered web development. I went through a Skype interview with IT Chimes and started using them.

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

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IT Chimes 6 months ago. We have an ongoing relationship with no plans to stop.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

IT Chimes is good at what they do and they offer a good service. They're fast, reliable, and respond in time.

How did IT Chimes perform from a project management standpoint?

They are able to manage projects from major clients in the US and UK. There are many offshore teams that we work with that cannot satisfy our demands. We work with probably three really strong teams that are elite partners like IT Chimes.

What distinguishes IT Chimes from other providers?

IT Chimes is very responsive, compared to other offshore teams.

Is there anything IT Chimes could have improved or done differently?

They could offer cheaper pricing because it’s higher than a lot of comparable companies. However, I stick with them because they also offer above average quality compared to others.

Please describe your organization.

We are a digital marketing and development agency.

What is your position?

I am the owner and operator of the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Chimes?

IT Chimes act as one of our developers and Internet marketing services providers. They're our primary partner in many projects. I am able to leverage my business resources well through their ability to hire multiple people for the price of a single local resource. There is a tradeoff in terms of working remotely and with a time difference, but I've found that the gains offset the losses.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

On the development side, IT Chimes work on more advanced PHP programming and WordPress theme customizations. They have abilities on the design side, but their strength lies in development. We also work with clients that are focused on search engine marketing. I run several accounts through IT Chimes.

How did you come to work with IT Chimes?

At the time, I was working with several other overseas providers, some of whom I still collaborate with. IT Chimes found me, which is unusual. Usually, when looking for an overseas partner, contact is mostly done through email, which doesn't give a very trusting impression. In 2011, I received a call from one of their business development managers. I initially thought it would be just another cold call that wouldn't lead to anything, but they described their company, and I sent them some project material. Their work was good, and they proposed a meeting with their chief executive officer, who would be traveling to the United States. I set up a meeting with him and I liked his approach. We then started working with one another.

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

I use each of their three divisions and each one of our client has different needs, so it's hard to estimate. The development had a cost of less than $10,000 within the first year. We spent closer to $25,000 in the second year and, in the last year, we engaged in a big project that will have a cost of more than $50,000.

With regard to Internet marketing, I'd used IT Chimes on a retainer basis until this year. In 2016, this service is expected to cost anywhere between $12,000 and $20,000. We haven't had very big mobile development projects so far. An average figure per year is $50,000. I wouldn't trust many overseas companies with projects going to the six-figure range, but I would trust IT Chimes.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2012. The work is ongoing. I have no plans of ending the collaboration.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

My clients never get to see the internal clockwork of the work we produce. They've been satisfied for the most part. There was one instance of someone on the Internet marketing side who wasn't satisfied with the services. It wasn't specifically my fault or that of IT Chimes – the client had very high expectations. In general, though, satisfaction levels have been good.

One thing that I find amazing about IT Chimes is that they go outside of the normal barriers of offshore IT work. With U.S. companies, everything comes down to what's written on the contract. This might be due to the relationship I've built with IT Chimes through the years, but they've been very flexible and understanding with me. They don't treat us as a client, but as a partner.

How did IT Chimes perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the challenges when working on big development projects is respecting the timeline. An overseas company, whether in India or Europe, will have a cultural difference in this sense. I've learned how to operate within this context, and IT Chimes has learned what our expectations are. On some development projects, we may go over time and scope, but this can't be entirely attributed to the quality of work done by them. Scopes could have been better developed on our side at times, too. Their work is by no means perfect, but it wouldn't necessarily be better had I been working with a local developer, at five times the cost.

What distinguishes IT Chimes from other providers?

They offer staff presence during U.S. hours for their Internet marketing services. Not a lot of overseas companies do that. I'm a night owl, so having the flexibility of working with the developers late at night and picking up the rest of the work early in the morning makes things quite easier.

Is there anything IT Chimes could have improved or done differently?

They could work faster. Speed is not always their fault – it's simply the nature of the beast. Maybe I've been spoiled by their offerings on the Internet marketing side, but having development teams during our local 9 to 5 timespan would be beneficial. Generally speaking, from my experience with other Indian companies, IT Chimes is proficient in English, but they could improve by adding a few more project managers. To be honest, I'm nitpicking. Our only major concern is to do with timelines, increasing delivery speed.

I work for a small bank lender that focuses on church ministries. We provide financing to churches. I am a Senior Vice President and lender.

I needed a new commercial website and online portal back-end. We wanted to focus on offshore firms that were less expensive. I also like how the large Indian firms can provide design, development, and many other technology competencies in one package.

IT Chimes was selected from an internet search. They provide web design and development plus back-end portal development.

They are fast, cheap, and very strong with communication. I have worked with IT Chimes for almost four months and have no problems with their service. I recommend them to others and am completely satisfied.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an entrepreneur. I have launched Airbagg to service the South African tourist industry, by providing temporary storage facilities for travelers.

For what projects/services did your company hire Saffron Tech, and what were your goals?

We are at startup phase, and needed an e-commerce website to handle bookings and payments. I envisioned a website that provided a seamless interface between the traveler, the storage service provider, and Airbagg.

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

I was referred to Saffron Tech by a local software developer. I was impressed by there highly competitive pricing, as well as the professional manner in which they interacted with me.

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

This was a start to finish web development project, from the wireframe design through development, testing, and handover. The final requirement was a fully functional web application, which is the heart of the Airbagg business model.

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

A design team, consisting of a manager and a junior designer, handled the wireframes. These were handed over to a project manager, with one backend developer. On completion of development, the project will be handed over to the application testing team.

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

The project has proceeded as per schedule. Avery professional design has been produced, and development is nearing completion.

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

We had weekly online meetings, firstly with the design team, followed by the development team. Website functionality was demonstrated to me for comment. The meetings were effective in steering the development process towards my required solution.

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

Saffron Tech is a well resourced software development company, with expertise in all the technological aspects of the Airbagg project. I'm impressed by their communication methods and willingness to adapt to the difference in time zones. We had many meetings which ran late into their evenings.

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

Saffron Tech follow solid project management methodologies. There were a few miscommunications of requirements but these were resolved in a professional manner.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Advanced Professional provides quality service in the industry of Plumbing - Heating and Cooling. Our industry has grown and branched off into the Industry of General Contracting as well.

Advanced Professional has over 45+ years of industry experience. I am the Office Manager at Advanced Professional.

For what projects/services did your company hire Saffron Edge, and what were your goals?

Saffron Edge was hired to help enhance our websites (5 of them), they assisted in generating leads (SEOs) without having the need to spend thousands of dollars with the Pay Per clicks ads typically selected in our market.

Saffron Edge helped lead Advanced Professional with Clean marketing service that has beefed up our site visits with unique leads.

How did you select Saffron Edge and what were the deciding factors?

Saffron Edge was a referral, we shopped around for a new Marketing company. Saffron edge presented our Team with the Support and developmental we needed.

Saffron Edge is very attentive, their project managers very responsive. The best part is they search the industry and learn our field so they are more hands on with what works for our business. Nothing is ever generic, Saffron Edge goes out of their to provide quality service.

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

saffron used a unique site to keep projects afloat. They provided feedback, key deliverable, and reports as needed to ensure the development of our Marketing Campaign is is accurate.

They provided weekly feedback with Impressions, Clicks, and Social Media reporting as well.

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

Project Manager, IT, Developers, Social Media Specialist i have worked with over 5 people.

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

After enhancing our website we saw a 60% Increase in site traffic.

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

The project manager is very timely in communication. We have used ZOOM, Google, etc.

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

The team is very professional and extremely responsive.

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

I think Saffron is super Advanced and We are learning to something new with their team every step of the way.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Neurology Center of New England,PC, we are a private neurology group with 7 providers 3 physical therapist. We also have research, infusion and we do procedures such as Botox and Dysport injections. I'm the VP of Operations

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

New design for our website

What were your goals for this project?

to make our website user friendly and easy to navigate through

How did you select this vendor?

recommendation from a friend

Describe the project in detail.

New website design

What was the team composition?

project manager, front end,designer and developer

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

An increase in web traffic in the first 90 days, positive feedback on how easy the website is and has all the information needed

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective and communication was consistent

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We like how easy it was to work together and their value of communication as a team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

not at this time

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am President of a creative ad agency.

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

SEO

What were your goals for this project?

Increase client SEO.

How did you select this vendor?

Interview and meeting in person.

Describe the project in detail.

Monthly SEO and reporting.

What was the team composition?

Saffron staff members and my staff members.

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

Ongoing with success in scores.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very communicative.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed of communicating with our needs is impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Principal Designer of my Interior Design firm.

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

I needed help optimizing my website and blog posts.

What were your goals for this project?

To have my website rank higher in Google searches.

How did you select this vendor?

I researched and interviewed many marketing companies.

Describe the project in detail.

Saffron Edge optimized my website and blog posts. They are very responsive and extremely communicative with my project. I love that I have a team working on my project.

What was the team composition?

There is a lead manager on the team That communicates with me every couple of weeks, but we also have monthly calls where every member of the team is on.

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

We are still in the process of optimization, so I don’t have any results to report yet.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Their team is very communicative and keeps me updated on all steps in the process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are knowledgeable and very easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’ve been very happy with everything thus far.