“Where other firms disappointed, Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) exceeded our expectations.”
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) took over web development and maintenance when a previous firm failed to maintain high-quality work. They initially started with SEO and now provide hosting, design, and social media management.
“Where other firms disappointed, Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) exceeded our expectations.”
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
“No matter what I wanted or asked for, no matter how long I took to get back to them, they were there for me.”
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) built a new website from scratch for a real estate rental firm. They added leasing functionality and individual pages for each property and ensured security for tenant information.
“No matter what I wanted or asked for, no matter how long I took to get back to them, they were there for me.”
Though the site hasn’t been active very long, it has already garnered positive responses from other agencies in the area. Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) came up with solutions at every step and managed the entire project. They were patient and easy to work with.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
“Their adaptability to change is something that they are good at and their response time is much faster than others."
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) designed and created a website, a backend dashboard, and an iOS/Android app to make digital billing efficient and effective for restaurant employees and customers.
“Their adaptability to change is something that they are good at and their response time is much faster than others."
The timely adaptability of Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) has produced four seamless technologies that are currently being piloted in multiple restaurants. Overall customer and restaurant response has been positive in experience and usability.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
"In hindsight, these guys have taken everything I’ve thrown at them—and it’s been a lot—with a smile."
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) migrated a website to WordPress and made various development improvements. They introduced a product visualization tool, discount processes, and custom order capabilities.
"In hindsight, these guys have taken everything I’ve thrown at them—and it’s been a lot—with a smile."
The website's visuals have prompted positive reactions and its layout is quite intuitive. Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) provided a welcoming feedback process and was flexible in dealing with evolving requirements. They take ownership of their projects and are unwilling to compromise on product quality.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
"Their platform played a big role in helping us scale as it automated a lot of our work."
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) provided web development services, working on a marketplace platform that is integrated with wholesale sellers. They also built a custom CRM for the Amazon Web Services platform.
"Their platform played a big role in helping us scale as it automated a lot of our work."
The finished platform permitted the company to utilize a wider range of data and effectively scale their work, contributing to a tripling of revenue since its completion. The team communicated clearly, provided excellent services throughout, and addressed any required fixes promptly.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
Saffron Edge (formerly Saffron Tech) vastly improved the website, enabling tracking and increasing SEO effectiveness. End users say the site is much cleaner and easier to navigate. The team maintained constant communication and solved problems quickly.