Unotech Global

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a self-storage company. We recycle shipping containers and turn them into self-storage spaces.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unotech Global?

We were using Microsoft Excel to track our processes, and it started becoming difficult to use. We decided to have someone build custom software for us. Additionally, we were looking to get our business online.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unotech Global developed a website for us. The team designed the whole thing, including the logo. We also worked together to find a suitable payment gateway, which they've since integrated into the site. 

The team has also helped us build a CRM from scratch. It's already connected to our site, and it helps us keep track of payments, due dates, customer information, and so on. Each information category has its own tab, and the team is still creating more to help us organize data. For example, they're building a tab for active rentals, late payments, and so on.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Abhishek (Founder & CEO) and an SEO and social media manager.

How did you come to work with Unotech Global?

My partner introduced me to Abhishek. We had a Zoom call soon after, and I got a feel for what Unotech Global could do and what their vision was for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in February 2021 and is ongoing.

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

Unotech Global has given us peace of mind — they've exceeded my expectations, especially in terms of usability. I haven't had any disputes with my customers since we started using the CRM and payment gateway. 

When we were using Microsoft Excel, we had a hard time finding the data we needed. The CRM allows us to put vast amounts of information into a clean, easy-to-navigate interface. Their work makes it easy to look for information.

How did Unotech Global perform from a project management standpoint?

They've created a timeline that details when we'll have access to certain features. The team is communicative and does a great job of keeping us informed of where they are in the timeline. We've never felt left in the dark — the team communicates their progress and notifies us if something needs to be pushed back. 

That said, we've had some setbacks where they couldn't deliver within the timeframe we wanted. However, it's never been to the point where it derailed our business, and we've always been able to work around things. Overall, we truly appreciate that how transparent they are. The team is willing to go down to the trenches with us and explain things to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The CRM is great, and I could probably market if I wanted to. In the span of a few months, Unotech Global has created fully functional software that can rival well-known solutions used by other storage companies.

The team is very competent when it comes to designing software from scratch. Every challenge we've thrown at Unotech Global, they've been able to overcome with flying colors. They've taken our ideas and implemented them in the best possible way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on meeting deadlines, but I understand that it's hard to predict certain things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your best to communicate with them, and they'll match you. Don't be too hands-off, and make sure to work closely with the team. This will allow them to do a more accurate job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a pharmaceutical company, and we focus on the OTC drug product area.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unotech Global?

We wanted to do marketing for our business, including social media campaigns.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unotech Global’s team managed our website, developed a greater part of our site in terms of content, and answered the questions that came into our page from the regulatory standpoint.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from their team, which took care of the managerial aspects of the project and other processes.

How did you come to work with Unotech Global?

They were referred to us by someone who worked with them in the past. We chose them because they were young, dynamic, and gave us creative thoughts on what they’d do if we decided to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2019–March 2020; we went through downsizing, so we had to let them go, but we’re just putting them on hold.

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

Their work directed traffic to our site, and the sales on Amazon increased as well. In addition to that, I’ve noticed that other people have copied the work that Unotech Global did for us.

How did Unotech Global perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was good, and I can’t remember any time that they missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a straightforward team; they asked us what we wanted and how we wanted it, and they went and did it that way. We got what we signed up for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they’re astute, energetic, and I can’t wait to re-engage with them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Follow up with them; they run fast, so if you have a project with regulatory guidance, you’ll need to be on top of it because their team needs to be able to meet timelines. Set aside time to review their work — that feedback mechanism has to be there.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO at calibaba inc. Calibaba is a B2B marketplace for hemp and cannabis products, operating across 12 states in the US, Canada and the UK.

For what projects/services did your company hire Unotech Global, and what were your goals?

We hired Unotech to build this B2B marketplace from scratch. We wanted to present a user friendly, mobile friendly marketplace to all wholesale buyers and sellers of Hemp products across the US. After launching the marketplace, our primary goal was to register 1000 suppliers/vendors on the platform within 12 months of launch. Unotech's digital marketing helped us achieve our goals within 10 months.

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

They were referred to me by a friend(business) I used to work for prior to Calibaba. Primary deciding factors were the quality of past projects, cost and timelines.

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

Starting from the kick off call, requirement sharing with their team was accomplished over a set of 3-4 calls before the development work started. Project development steps included - Backend development, Vendor accounts, User accounts, 3rd party integrations, testing and deployment. The user website was built at the last. The platform is primarily built using ASP.net, Python, PHP and Java.

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

A project manager was the main point of contact. There were 2 other senior developers whom we interacted during the development phase. After launch, we were introduced to a very dynamic and intelligent marketing head. In the marketing team that worked for us there were a total of 4 other people working on different pieces - SEO, SMO, Content and a Graphics Designer.

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

After the marketplace was tested and deployed as per our liking, we vouched on Unotech's digital marketing plan. We agreed on an yearly target of 1000+ subscribers in the first year. Unotech helped us achieve signup of 1000+ vendors within 10 months.

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

From requirement gathering to testing of the marketplace, we used to have regular weekly calls which kept us informed on the challenges and work progress throughout the period of 12-15 months. Asana and Zoom are 2 tools I remember.

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

The quality of the research they put in before coming up with a plan/solution was outstanding. Be it development or marketing ideas, they are full of energy and put in their best to deliver results.

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

Not really. Infact my team and I always looked forward to our weekly calls so that we can get to learn new stuff from these guys.