Freelance work has been growing steadily in popularity internationally with Pakistan now ranked as the 4th fastest growing freelance market in Asia according to Payoneer. We recently had a chat with the co-founders of Savvy.com.pk, Pakistan’s very own Freelance Marketplace. Long term friends Adeel Abid and Aizaz Nayyer are on a mission to enable freelance culture in a market where Covid-19 has transformed the digital landscape.
BR: Before we delve in to the details of what Savvy.com.pk is all about, let’s talk about your backgrounds.
Adeel: I completed my Bachelors degree in Finance from Durham University in the UK and worked in London for a couple of years at Santander. Unfulfilled with the standard 9 to 5 culture, I moved back and got involved in the family business, expanding from food and beauty into the homecare market by launching new brands.
Aizaz: I got a degree in Economics and Political Science from LUMS and went on to work in sales and marketing roles at House of Habib and then later at Daraz after they got acquired by Alibaba. I had personally worked as a freelancer myself during my student years and always believed that there was massive potential that existed in the local freelance market. Adeel shared my vision and before we knew it we were Savvy.
BR: So what is Savvy.com.pk?
Aizaz: In a nutshell, we are a freelance marketplace that connects quality, pre-vetted freelancers with people looking for any kind of digital service. Think logos, animations, digital marketing, websites, mobile applications etc. Through our site, clients can directly chat and interact with the freelancers (known as Savvy Specialists) or they can just contact us directly to assemble and manage a freelance team on their behalf for larger projects.
Adeel: The twist is that we have localized ourselves according to the Pakistani market by offering call support and Key Account Management that is lacking if you get your work done through international freelance marketplaces. We know customers in the local market love the feeling of picking up the phone and calling for updates and we cater to that with our dedicated Key Account Managers.
BR: What benefits does a person or organisation get by working through Savvy.com.pk?
Adeel: Overall, it simplifies the traditionally cumbersome process of working with freelancers that lurk on various social media and other sites. So for example someone looking to get a logo made will post on a Facebook group and this will be followed by comments from mostly inexperienced freelancers who are willing to work cheaply. There are obviously lots of trust deficits on both sides regarding payments, quality and delivery of work. Things often go wrong.
Working through Savvy enables both companies and individuals to save their effort, time and money involved with recruiting full time teams. Plus, they can access a large amount of Specialists available via our marketplace ready to start at a click of a button.
Aizaz: At Savvy, we have an application process for our Specialists that involves viewing their past work and assessing their skill levels. This vetting process serves as a quality control mechanism and ensures that we have high quality services being offered on our platform. Then someone looking to get a logo designed can simply browse through the various available options that also have pricing packages listed as well as portfolios. The payment is made to Savvy and we keep it safe until the customer is satisfied, before releasing it to the Specialist. Essentially, you have complete accountability and transparency.
BR: On your site, it mentions that you have worked with big name clients such as the United Nations Development Programme, Revlon and Creme 21. In what capacity have you worked with these brands?
Adeel: We have actually developed a Women Safety Application in collaboration with UNDP and the Salman Sufi Foundation that is available on the Play Store.
We are currently working on several apps for clients ranging from logistics to healthcare that employ a mixture of in-house and freelance talent. Through this approach, we are able to offer superior timelines, quality and value for money. The same applies to clients like Revlon and Creme 21 for whom we do social media marketing. In fact we successfully executed 3 Digital Video Commercials for Creme 21 with a team composed exclusively of high quality freelance talent.
The end result is that the brands get great quality at great prices while Savvy’s Key Account Managers manage everything.
BR: What can we expect from Savvy.com.pk in 2021?
Aizaz: Covid-19 has definitely accelerated Pakistan’s digital transformation and Savvy is in prime position to take advantage of this. Our mobile app is currently in its testing phase and will be rolled out within Q1 2021. Our customers can expect many exciting features to be rolled out within this year and from a marketing front, this is really the year we want to go all out and establish Savvy as the go to place for all your digital needs.
Our vision also includes educating clients and reducing the stigma surrounding working with freelancers while also educating and upskilling our freelance specialists. In fact we have already entered into a partnership with TechKaro and Engro Foundation to provide jobs in the digital economy to talented youngsters from less advantaged backgrounds. Ultimately we want to take Savvy global and compete with the big marketplaces in the world using the huge pool of talented youth available in Pakistan.
With Pakistan’s large youth population and the popularity of freelance growing day by day, Savvy.com.pk seems like an exciting company with big plans for the future. With the right partnerships and investment, there seems to be no reason that they cannot achieve their ambitions of making Pakistan an international freelance hub.
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