Client Overview
Kandisa Technologies, founded by Rajesh Shah, is a Salesforce consultancy and development company that has been operating on Upwork since 2012. The agency specializes in Salesforce-related projects, including development, consultancy, support, and complex integrations. Over the years, they have built a strong reputation on the platform, earning consistent five-star reviews and crossing the $1M milestone in total Upwork earnings.
With a team of more than 20 developers, not all directly active on Upwork, the company’s core market is entirely focused on Salesforce solutions. Despite their size and expertise, finding and winning projects had always been a manual, time-consuming process before they discovered GigRadar.
We specialize in Salesforce consultancy and development, everything Salesforce-related, from support to integrations. Upwork has been our main client source for years.
The Situation Before GigRadar
When Rajesh first joined Upwork, it was already one of the largest freelancing platforms in the world. Back in 2012, the agency was new and looking for ways to secure consistent work. Over the years, they refined their service offering but still relied heavily on the same lead generation approach: manual project search.
Every day, Rajesh or one of his team members would browse job postings, looking for relevant opportunities that matched their budget and skills. Proposals were sent only when someone had free time, meaning outreach was inconsistent and dependent on internal availability. The process was labor-intensive, and the results were modest.
The success was very limited. Out of 100 proposals, you might get a reply from two or three clients. It was a complete manual process, and that slowed everything down.
This lack of speed and volume meant missed opportunities. Even with a high-quality Upwork profile, Kandisa Technologies often lost out to faster bidders. The absence of a structured bidding strategy only made the challenge harder.
Another issue was balancing resources. The developers’ primary focus was delivering work for existing clients, so lead generation was often squeezed in between project deadlines. Without a dedicated bidding team, the agency could not scale its proposal volume without sacrificing delivery quality.
Rajesh also points out that agencies trying to grow on Upwork need to be operationally prepared:
It shouldn’t be that you’re bidding for projects but don’t have the team to deliver. You need a capable backend team ready to handle the work, a strong profile, and a clear focus on relevant projects.
The Search for a Better Approach
By 2022, Rajesh knew they needed a more efficient system. Hiring virtual bidders was considered but quickly dismissed, the costs were high, and even with more manpower, they still couldn’t guarantee faster responses to job postings.
The breakthrough came when Rajesh received an email from GigRadar. It introduced a concept he hadn’t even realized was possible: automated proposal submissions on Upwork.
I wasn’t aware that automation was even possible for submitting proposals on Upwork. The fact that we could send a proposal within 10 minutes of a job being posted was something I wanted to try, especially since we weren’t getting the results we expected with manual bidding.
Intrigued, Rajesh decided to test the tool. He started with a 3-month plan at $750, which allowed him to evaluate its relevance and compliance with Upwork’s rules.
Why GigRadar Was Chosen
A few factors made GigRadar the preferred choice:
- Speed of outreach: Proposals sent within minutes of job posting.
- Relevance filtering: Ability to target only Salesforce-related projects that matched their expertise.
- Flexibility in cost: Ability to move from a multi-month plan to a monthly subscription when usage patterns changed.
Rajesh had two main concerns before committing:
- Upwork compliance — Would automation violate platform rules? After a year of use, no warnings or issues were received.
- Targeting accuracy — Would GigRadar bid on the right jobs? In practice, 70–80% of targeted projects matched perfectly.
Our only concern was whether this was fully within Upwork’s terms and whether it would target the right projects. A year later, I can say we’ve had no issues with compliance, and the targeting has been on point most of the time.
The Transformation After GigRadar
The switch to GigRadar completely changed how Kandisa Technologies approached lead generation. Rajesh configured the system once and has barely needed to adjust it since. Proposals are sent automatically, ensuring that the agency is among the first to respond to high-potential opportunities.
Frankly speaking, I configured the job posts months back, and I haven’t made any changes since. I log in maybe once a week or once in two weeks just to check remaining proposals and reply rates.
This hands-off approach freed up hours of manual work each week, allowing the team to focus on project delivery.
The Results
- Clients Landed: Approximately 5–6 new clients directly from GigRadar outreach.
- Revenue Generated: $8K–$10K in projects over the past year.
- Lead Reply Rate: Significant improvement compared to the manual process.
- ROI Timeline: Broke even in the last 1–2 months after landing two projects that covered the tool’s cost.
- Total Investment: $3K–$4K in GigRadar plus a similar amount in Upwork Connects.
Rajesh is clear that while GigRadar has improved visibility and reply rates, the final conversion still depends on the agency’s ability to close deals:
In terms of what it advertises, pushing out proposals quickly and improving lead reply rates, it works well. Conversions are in the agency’s hands, but if you’re looking to get noticed faster on Upwork, it’s a very good tool.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
From Rajesh’s experience, three key lessons stand out for other agencies considering automation:
- Automation is a multiplier, not a replacement: It boosts outreach but doesn’t replace the need for strong sales skills and delivery capacity.
- Preparation is critical: Ensure your backend team can handle additional projects before increasing proposal volume.
- Targeting matters: Carefully set filters so that automation focuses only on relevant, high-value projects.
A strong profile, a capable team, and relevant bidding go hand in hand with automation. If you have these in place, a tool like GigRadar can make a big difference.
Conclusion
For Kandisa Technologies, GigRadar has delivered on its promise: faster outreach, more replies, and time saved from manual bidding. The tool positioned them to compete more effectively on a crowded platform, allowing them to maintain high service quality while still growing their client pipeline.
Rajesh’s experience shows that while automation won’t close deals for you, it will open the door to more opportunities, and in a competitive environment like Upwork, that speed can be the deciding factor.
If you want to increase your reply rates, save time, and give your agency a competitive edge on Upwork, book your free GigRadar demo today.
