The Sailor Group

BACKGROUND

Please provide me a brief description of what your company does for some background information.

We provide business technology solutions for companies, including: postage meter systems, mailing systems to printers, multifunction players, copiers, and fax machines for businesses throughout upstate New York. We employ approximately 35 people and we’ve been in operation since 1977. We serve some 5,000 customers.

What is your position and primary responsibility?

I’m the president and I’m essentially responsible for the entire operation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals or reasons for undertaking the project with Sailor Group?

We were in search of integration services with our backend system.

SOLUTION

What was the process that you used for selecting them?

Over the course of the past twelve to fifteen years I’ve been exposed to every CRM system in the market. It was quite difficult to find one that would work with our backend system while simultaneously being easy-to-use.  I consistently returned to the Salesforce.com platform, whether it was X, GoldMine or a custom design.

One of the things that I realized when working with software companies was that they billed you for every piece of correspondence. You’re always on the clock. It’s a similar experience with attorneys. The Sailor Group adheres to a different philosophy. If it’s for the general good of the population they’re serving, then they’re going to incorporate it.  They know what they’re doing. They don’t nickel and dime you to death. These guys understand our industry and they’re willing deliberate and make alterations without focusing on billable hours. Once I realized all of this, I thought that the fit would be perfect.

Please discuss more about the scope of the project. Does it include design, development and support?

It did. I wouldn’t say it included support, but it certainly included design and development. I had a priorities list that I sent along to our company contact, Charles. He reviewed it and returned with an outline indicating what it was they could deliver upon, what could be including in their package, what might cost extra or take extra time, etc. I was pleased with their capacity to deliver on the majority of my requests.

What parts of the project was the Sailor Group involved with? What areas were you able to develop in house?

They did the entire thing. We don’t have that type of expertise here on the staff.

Do you remember any of the technologies that were used such as the programming language or the server or the database?

I really don’t know the explicit details.

Can you provide me a sense of the size of the initiative in monetary terms?

The customization work was under $5,000.00.

Was this project an all-inclusive featured package?

Yes, which was quite surprising to me. I wasn’t aware that I could have that kind of work done for such a reasonable rate. For $125 per month we could fully utilize X version on Salesforce.com. The solution offered by the Sailor Group was cheaper. It includes unlimited support and they’re willing to make modifications if you see fit.

We’ve collaborated with them on other projects since the initial implementation. Most of them range from $1,000.00 to $2,500.00. I draft a list of requests and priorities and send it to them. They respond with a requirements verification and then formulate a proposal and estimated cost. I typically agree and then we move forward and initiate a project. It’s all done in a timely manner.

How recent was the project finished?

The last project was completed on March 27.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project? If you have any stats or metrics, I’d be happy to hear that as well?

I don’t have any specific metrics to share with you. I can, however, say that their work has saved me significant time and effort. We used to receive daily spreadsheets with business leads to be used in telemarketing. We then had to manually input them into our system in order to convey the data to our sales representatives. I did the majority of that work myself. That process eventually got out of hand. It took considerable time and effort that could have been spent on more productive activities. The Sailor Group designed a web portal for our vendor that allowed them to input the information, automatically update references, and transfer the relevant data to the Salesforce.com database, which our sales representatives have access to. They essentially automated the entire process.

How do you feel about their performance?

It’s been excellent. They’re tremendous collaborators.

When working with them, was there anything that you noticed to be unique or special about them compared to other companies you’ve worked with?

They don’t charge for every single item. They listen to you. That really separated them from many of the other companies I’ve worked with. The Sailor Group’s project team was a pleasure to work with. They take a realistic approach to their solutions. When things went awry or we ran into problems, which inevitably happens, their team responded with a sense of urgency I haven’t found elsewhere. They were beginning to take remedial actions immediately. More importantly, they didn’t bill us for those kinds of modifications or alterations. That work was merely a part of the implementation process. They clearly take pride in their work and it shows.

Being a small company can sometimes put us at a disadvantage because we don’t have the same level of resources that larger firms do. Because of that, finding a partner that makes a concerted effort to understand your business needs, at a reasonable cost, can be quite difficult. We’re of course always willing to pay so long as it’s a reasonable and fair price. The larger software companies will charge you incessantly for every minute thing. It’s like they’re building a house, charging you for every brick. The Sailor Group has never done that. In fact, last year we ran into some financial difficulties and they made an arrangement with us that only very few of my vendors have ever done. It’s not like they had to do that, but it’s clear that our loyalty and future business is more important to them than immediate financial returns.

Looking back on the project, were there any areas that you feel like they could improve on, or things you would have done differently?

I don’t think so. If I take a look at all aspects of what they did, I think it went pretty smooth. Nothing really comes to mind. I suppose if you had extra financial resources, the quality might have been better. Based on the circumstances, though, I would say they performed extremely well.

Do you have any further comments on your experience with the Sailor Group?

They’re an excellent business partner. They do what they say in a timely fashion and they don’t charge for everything; they don’t nickel and dime you to death. They make a real effort to understand the industry, which is of great importance to us.

I’ve recommended them to probably a dozen people in our industry. And I just tell them to sign up, no questions asked.