BACKGROUND Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m the founder and managing director of heart-us.co.uk, a website that connects landlords agents with potential tenants in a secure and harmonious way. OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE What challenge were you trying to address with Emizen Tech? I was looking for a subcontractor to build my company’s website for me, as well as assist me in marketing it. SOLUTION What was the scope of their involvement? They built the website on WordPress, customizing it with PHP coding to reflect my vision. They also created the graphics and logos for the website and other marketing spaces like social media. The site has two main functions. The first allows landlords and agents to register for a free account and create adverts for their properties. The second function allows homeseekers and tenants to advertise their home requirements for free on the website so landlords and agents can find them. The site will eventually function on a freemium model, where there will be a certain level of accessibility for free, and users will have to pay for enhanced services. We don’t intend to start marketing until March 2020, when home seekers are gearing up to move in the warmer months, but when we do start marketing, I intend to subcontract an admin assistant from Emizen Tech. They’ll assist me with posting on social media, answering any technical support questions and help desk tickets, creating content, etc. I’ll also be working with them for future site development. What is the team composition? I primarily work with Virendra Sharma [eCommerce consultant and Magento certified developer, Emizen Tech]. I also work with Deependra Singh [web developer, Emizen Tech] to develop my site. How did you come to work with Emizen Tech? I found them on Freelancer.com. They had the skills that I needed and received a lot of positive feedback from previous customers, so I decided to work with them on a few smaller projects. They didn’t disappoint, so I decided to employ them directly to build my company’s website. How much have you invested with them? We spent between $14,000 to $21,000 in our partnership with them so far. What is the status of this engagement? We began working together in December 2016. We finished the first stage of building the website, so they currently provide troubleshooting. We intend to continue working with them on marketing and subsequent stages of development for the site. RESULTS & FEEDBACK What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? Because I’m from an IT background, I tested their deliverables myself and evaluated them based on my own observations. I’m very patient with the pace, which was slower than they said it would be, so long as the work is high-quality, which it was — particularly for the price point. Because the website is relatively new, we don’t have a lot external feedback, but everyone who’s seen the site thinks it’s brilliant and looks beautiful. How did Emizen Tech perform from a project management standpoint? Their project management could certainly use some work. I had to create my own system using Trello to keep track of their work. That being said, I’ve really enjoyed working with Deependra. He’s brilliant and ensures my expectations are met. I rarely have to explain things more than once or twice to him. When we start development for the site again, I want to continue working with him. What did you find most impressive about them? Emizen Tech quickly sorts out any problems we have, often free of charge, to ensure I’m happy. For instance, Facebook changed the size of their group banners, so my banner no longer fit properly anymore. I reached out to Virendra via Skype to ask if Emizen’s graphic designer could fix the banner for us. They made the necessary changes and didn’t charge me. Are there any areas they could improve? As I said, project management was a weak point for Emizen. When we first started working with them, they didn’t have a strong project management system in place, so things would get lost in the process. I’d ask for something to get done, and it would be forgotten. I then decided to create my own system using Trello, and things began running smoother. I’ve suggested that Emizen use project management tools like Prince2 and Scrum to ensure organization and clarity. Do you have any advice for potential customers? Something to bear in mind when working with them is there’s a bit of language barrier with them. English isn’t their first language, so there will be misunderstandings here and there, but that’s the price I’m willing to pay for their high quality, cost-effective work. — David Southhall, Owner, heart-is.co.uk ltd