Managing Director Stuart Baikie is resolute about taking Cheltenham-based Total to the next level of its development. Here, with real conviction, he sets out the company's strategic growth aspirations.
Although Total's recent 15th birthday celebrations may be neatly filed in memory there is no looking back for Baikie as he prepares the company for its most intense period of transformation. Convinced that hosted solutions and managed services are now the talk of the town, and with his mind set on taking Total from £11.5 million turnover to £25 million by 2015, Baikie has given the firm's aspirations a strategic blessing and he is already putting policy into action. "We have made significant steps into the cloud and hosted arena and are strengthening our existing propositions in these areas as well as complementary IT related products and services," he said. "We are looking at potential acquisitions this financial year. These will put us on the way to hitting our revenue target."
Growth opportunities primarily exist within hosted propositions and cloud services, noted Baikie, but it would be folly to sideline the mobile staple therefore his plan includes the expansion of Total's successful mobile Focus Partner channel. "I wouldn't underestimate the mobile market, both now and in the future," added Baikie. "This is one area where revenues are not diminishing and more comms companies are starting to recognise the importance of including mobile in their product portfolio. Furthermore, customers are finally starting to ask for such solutions. That's why our partner channel is such an integral part of our own strategy."
Total's programme has proved to be a remarkable success and Baikie puts this down to his ongoing quest for operational improvement and development. "Over the past year we have continued to look at ways we can improve our channel offering, from service and support through to technology," he explained. "From a partner perspective, we all want to better service our customers from the sales cycle through to ongoing support and retention. We believe that much of what we are doing is stand-out and can genuinely help partners gain a competitive edge by giving them control of their mobile base and allowing them to dictate their own SLAs."
The launch of YourView+ (a mobile provisioning portal) in April this year is a particularly notable development in Total's programme. Until its roll out partners initiated actions via the Helpdesk. For example, new connections, requests for tariff or SIM changes or even just to check the bolt-ons associated with a number. "Partners now have a resource at their fingertips that offers an unprecedented level of access to the O2 network," explained Baikie. "They now have the control needed to be able to dictate their own SLAs to their own mobile bases and better serve their customers. From our side, this change of ownership means our partner team is able to spend more time assisting with other areas of service, such as bid support or retention and incentives. It has also given us the capacity to concentrate on growing our channel safe in the knowledge that we can do so without compromising the service levels our partners receive. The difference YourView+ has made both to our partners and internally is outstanding. In the six months since launch we have seen a massive 65 per cent reduction in Helpdesk tickets."
Total's partner recruitment strategy to date has concentrated on a small number of carefully selected partners, providing the necessary infrastructure and resource to work closely with and support them. "This has worked well and enabled the programme to succeed and deliver some fantastic results for all concerned," commented Baikie. "Following our internal changes we are now ready for the next phase of channel growth. But again, our current partner recruitment drive and strategy firmly adheres to those same principles. We are looking for a finite number of new partners who share our ethos, and by working in true partnership, we can help all parties reach their respective goals."
Although their individual core businesses vary, potential partners in the main come to Total specifically for mobile. However, new products and services are also being introduced. "We have recently had a couple of partners approaching us to help them with their fixed bases and I expect to see this diversification increasing in the future," noted Baikie. "Our channel has seen first hand the way we do things, the tools, technology and infrastructure we have in place to support them, so I believe others will follow suit. We also have strong and well established relationships within our own supply channel and this undoubtedly benefits our partners too, outside of the main mobile offering."
If the strategies espoused by Baikie haven't yet grabbed your Total attention, a new doors-open Ryder Cup 2014 incentive scheme certainly will. "We wanted to launch an incentive that would reward all of our partners, so I like to think this is a different way of doing things as many incentives just reward a select few top performers," Baikie commented. "My view is that if you are meeting your agreed targets you should be sharing in that success. We are also opening up this opportunity to any new partners who come aboard by the start of the new year, and hope that all of our channel will be able to join us at the Ryder Cup. We have a superb weekend lined up with accommodation and two days of full hospitality with a great vantage point adjacent to the 18th green. This is a great opportunity to spend time and network with other partners at what has to be one of the best sporting events in the UK."
Loyalty and partnership runs through Total's core and to prove the point more than half of the firm's 42 employees have been with the company for over five years. "We have a culture that encourages people to be successful and make a real difference in contributing to the company," added Baikie. "Team members are empowered to make decisions and put forward their own ideas for all aspects of the business. This has a significant effect on our staff retention rates‚ which of course benefits our customers and partners too.
"Reward and recognition are important so we launched a share option scheme in 2008 with allocations made annually across the business. We do all we can to create a nice working environment, from a recent full office refurbishment to providing a kitchen bearing fruit. And we have fun too. To see the way the company has grown into a mature and successful business and how it continues to do so, with exciting developments on the horizon, is a fantastic achievement both personally and for all concerned."