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System I is your partner for accelerating development.

Processed 250 tickets (initiatives) in one year.
The appeal of System I as a partner accelerating development

Ambitious Inc. faced challenges in the ongoing development of its service website while operating its storage unit business.
We spoke with Mr. Yuji Horie, Manager of the Systems Section in the Sales Customer Business Division, about why they chose System I as their development partner and the benefits that have become apparent through their collaboration.

※The information in this article is current as of July 2025.

Ambitious Inc.

Ambitious Co., Ltd. is a company primarily engaged in operating the “Storage Pit” self-storage service, which operates 670 locations nationwide in Japan, and managing the franchise headquarters for this service.
Within the continuously growing self-storage market, since its founding in 2005, the company has consistently sought to reinvent the self-storage business, leveraging technology integration and marketing strength as its weapons. It continues to advance, looking beyond its current business domains toward expansion into a wide range of fields.
Ambitious Inc. Official Website
Storage Pit Service Site

The deciding factor in selecting a partner is a rich pool of talent with diverse skills.

Source: Storage Pit Official Website

－Please provide an overview of the services and systems that were the subject of development.

Our “Storage Pit” service provides customers with access to storage units, which are spaces partitioned off using containers or dividers.
With 670 locations nationwide, we serve a wide range of needs: corporate clients store documents and equipment, while individuals use our units for golf and camping gear, seasonal clothing, and more.
The development target is the “Storage Pit” service website. This system allows customers to check storage unit availability and complete contract procedures online.
Since the prototype site had already launched in 2018, our main focus with System I was on UI/UX improvements, service additions and enhancements, and SEO measures.

－Please tell us about the challenges you faced before System I became your development partner and the circumstances that led you to decide to change vendors.

The lack of resources and skills due to an inability to add engineers was a major challenge.
Since the service site launched in 2018, we had relationships with other vendors, but we were chronically understaffed with only 0.5 engineers per month available for development. Requests for additional assignments were denied, likely due to personnel shortages, and we were barely managing by assigning separate SES members.
As a result, backlogged tickets (*1) accumulated, with some sitting untouched for as long as three years. Furthermore, we frequently felt dissatisfied with the engineers' skill levels, particularly regarding architectural flaws and design issues.
Few companies in the storage unit industry focused on web marketing, giving us a natural competitive advantage. However, the lack of progress on additional development caused our lead over competitors to gradually shrink. Recognizing this crisis, we began considering changing vendors around March 2023.

－Please tell us how you came to know about System I during the vendor selection process.

After consulting with an AWS partner we had a relationship with, they introduced us to System Eye as a reliable vendor, which is how we got started.
Starting around April 2023, we reached out to various vendors and compared about 10 companies. By summer, we narrowed it down to about two companies, including System I, and began development with System Eye in November 2023.

－What were the key factors that led you to choose System I?

The first deciding factor was the breadth of talent. After considering whether they had the management foundation for a long-term partnership, System I matched the skills we required.
When they introduced us to personnel who could be assigned in advance, we were confident that System I could cover not only backend development but also the infrastructure knowledge and skills we lacked.
Second, we felt their development stance aligned with ours. Their approach wasn't about “taking time to mass-produce extremely thorough documentation,” nor was it overly focused on implementation. Instead, we saw a well-balanced approach that positioned them as a partner to collaborate with on development.
Third, System I's past track record also contributed to our trust. We highly valued their experience as a core partner for major IT vendors, as well as their proven results in the financial and manufacturing sectors. Manufacturing inevitably demands detailed specifications for systems, so their experience in this field provided significant reassurance.

Flexibility in assignments tailored to each development phase is also an appealing feature.

－What kind of structure have you used to advance product development?

During the initial product development phase, our company had one site manager and myself plus two or three engineers. System I had one PM and two developers. For projects that our development team alone couldn't handle, additional members were assigned as needed.
While this structure functioned adequately, we needed to accelerate our efforts due to the large number of unresolved tickets carried over from the previous vendor.
Therefore, to accumulate knowledge and domain expertise and improve development efficiency, we shifted to a structure where we permanently secured the development members previously assigned on a per-project basis, while also increasing the team size. We transitioned to a model where all ticket development was handled within the team.
This change restructured System I's team to consist of 1 PM, 1 requirements definition specialist, and 5 development members. While I originally handled requirements definition myself, having System Eye assign one person to this role increased the tasks that could be delegated to the development members. We are greatly helped by the flexibility in assignments, which allows them to adapt to our situation.

－How did System I perform?

As a development partner, I feel you've facilitated a smooth process. Although there was a handover period of about one to two months during the vendor transition, it proceeded relatively smoothly, including online meetings with the previous vendor. I think you did an excellent job handling the handover despite the lack of well-organized documentation.
It was also reassuring that they proactively offered suggestions for improving development efficiency, such as “This approach could speed things up.” Since faster development speeds lower overall development costs, we encouraged weekly review sessions to create an environment where sharing ideas felt comfortable.

－Were you satisfied with the quality as well?

That's right. The vendor we previously worked with had issues like slow search result retrieval because tables weren't joined, and inefficient implementation of the same logic in multiple places. Since migrating to System Eye, we haven't experienced any of those problems, which has been very reassuring.

Processing tickets at over twice the previous speed. Long-delayed feature additions are now being implemented.

Source: Storage Pit Official Website

－Have you achieved any results from product development with System I?

Within about a year of System I joining us, we processed hundreds of tickets. This is more than twice the speed compared to before. Additionally, the number of incidents has decreased, reducing the time spent chasing them down.
We also implemented long-delayed additional features on the site. These include automatically recommending nearby stores to customers on the waiting list for vacancies, and a reservation feature for viewing unmanned storage units. We successfully added features that enhance customer convenience and operational efficiency.
Another achievement was establishing a flexible development framework.
While we envisioned in-house system development in the future, our efforts to hire in-house engineers weren't progressing as planned. Continued ticket backlogs would have eroded our competitiveness. Choosing to collaborate with System I to build a stable development foundation first was the right decision.

－Has the additional development of the service site also yielded results in terms of sales?

The implementation of the aforementioned automated recommendation and tour reservation features has reduced labor costs associated with manual handling, cut selling, general, and administrative expenses, and increased the contract rate.
Many downtown stores are located within buildings, occupying a corner of a floor, making it difficult to gain visibility from passersby. Therefore, achieving high rankings in internet searches—so-called “SEO”—is crucial. However, since competitors also implement countermeasures, continuous SEO improvements are essential.
Collaborating with System I accelerated development speed, enabling timely implementation of SEO measures for the website. Our SEO score has improved, and we aim to continue leveraging this to increase contract numbers.

Aiming for further growth alongside our development partners

－Please tell us what makes System I attractive as a development partner.

System I's appeal lies in its comprehensive technical capabilities and flexible staffing. With engineers possessing expertise spanning from cloud to implementation, they can accommodate either a fully managed approach or a client-led model where they fill specific staffing gaps. This flexibility allows for tailored staffing solutions based on the situation.
I was particularly impressed by their skill in advancing implementation reliably and swiftly. If your company, like ours, aims to rapidly advance implementation in close collaboration with vendors, I highly recommend starting with a consultation.

－Please share your future outlook.

We have plans for new ventures beyond our current storage business. Since launching something from scratch will likely require resources beyond what our internal team can provide, we would definitely like to consult with System I when that time comes.
Of course, we also hope you will continue to leverage your development capabilities as our partner for our current services.

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