Using Technology to Expand
Your Business
Trevor Jobling
PLATO, 19th February 2014
1.
2.
3.
4.

My Background
Current trends in tech
How can we benefit?
Questions
1. Background
• Lead Developer
Interactive, 1999
• Joined a dotcom startup, 2001
• Founder
, 2002
Consultancy
Custom software development
We help our clients to…

Automate

Innovate

Integrate
A Tale of Two Clients
Customers
2. Trends in
Tech
vs.
Old

Own and
operate
hardware

New
Use anonymous
datacentre

Special
software
running on your
computer

Use any web
browser

System lives
locally and can
grow old

Subscribe to a
constantly
updated service

Data stuck in
the office

Data accessible
from anywhere
There’s an explosion
of applications
Many are very targeted, specific
Usability has improved
Collaboration works
Integrating systems is
easier too
3. How to
benefit?
Work smarter
Efficiency

•
•
•
•
•

Save time with better tools
Collaborate
Track your time
Benefit from proven processes
Remote
Make your
Customers Happier
• Know them better – CRM
• Better comms:
transparency, clarity
• Track issues for better
service
Save money
•
•
•
•

Hardware
Software
Maintenance
Print & Post
Manage Risk
Your data may be safer
off-site
• Better backup?
• Better security?
Make Money
•
•
•
•

Ecommerce
Marketing
Syndicated ads
Helpouts
Fancy some DIY?
Something bigger?
• Automate
• Innovate
• Integrate
Gotchas!
•
•
•
•
•

Trust
Limitations
Regulatory issues
Selection
Fragmentation
Summary
1.
2.
3.
4.

What hurts?
Be curious – google
Be choosy
More ambitious?
1. What can you sell?
2. How can you delight
customers?
3. What can be streamlined?
4. …?
Thanks!
Trevor Jobling
trevor.jobling@dovetail.ie
www.dovetail.ie

Using Technology to Expand your Business

Editor's Notes

  • #5 One upon a time I was the lead developer in RTE Interactive. I left there to join a dotcomstartup at the height of the first dotcom bubble. That didn’t work out great, so in 2002 I co-founded Dovetail.
  • #7 We build custom systems to help our clients meet their own goals when there is no off the shelf product that can meet their needs.We do build websites, but not if they’re just online brochures. There needs to be some software engineering and business process involved.I know that sounds very vague, but we’ll touch on it again later. For now, I can summarise what we do into three categories:
  • #8 Automate: take the manual steps out of a process; reduce staff workload; become more responsive; reduce errorsInnovate: Enable to processes within the business, offer a new products or services, solve business issues, increase qualityIntegrate: Link systems (internal or external) to realise efficiencies, operate faster
  • #9 John is on the left.He owns LA Brokers, a significant online discountbroker for insurance and pension products.LA Brokers sell many thousands of policies every year. A notable point is that John is a sole proprietor, and he is able to run his business because Dovetail has build systems that automate so much of the business.Ingvar on the right.The systems we have built for IKEA are used every day in every IKEA store in the UK and Ireland, by thousands of customers.
  • #10 Anita Coyle, Paula Bates, Denise Reid, Siobhan Burke
  • #11 Marketing is not in scope, so nothing social.
  • #12 The core idea of cloud is that instead of having your own hardware, and running software applications on it, you instead use software applications that are hosted for you in some anonymous datacenter that you don’t know anything about. You just use a web browser to access the application.A nice example is moving from Sage to Xero.This frees you from costs of buying hardware and software.You benefit from economies of scale of pooled resources in the datacentre.Free you from maintenance, backups, security issues of running your own system.Enables instant delivery of updates, new features.
  • #13 Old: Horrible to use. I didn’t understand it. Horrible outputs. Old. Designed for postal system. Required updates. Only I could use it. Not share with Martin. Only ran in the office. Only on my PC. I had to back it up.Collaborate with accountants was painful ExpensiveNew: So easy to use, more attractive outputs. Email enabled. Access anywhere (PC, phone, iPad), any time. Martin can use it too. Accountants update it in real time. Cheap
  • #15 Standardisation, large technology ecosystem, good designs/apps/techniques thrive and reproduceAccess to market has
  • #16 If you can think of it, it’s out there. Google and look. And they target niches.You’re not just buying the app, but the process too. No rights and wrongs.
  • #17 If you can think of it, it’s out there. Google and look. And they target niches.You’re not just buying the app, but the process too. No rights and wrongs.EgBusinessPlan app
  • #19 Depending on your business, if you are still just sending emails you’re probably missing outGoogle Docs, writing docsXero for accountsDrawing toolsMockupsProject management
  • #20 Get one system talking to another
  • #21 I think Dovetail is pretty current, so it may be useful if I walk you though some of the cloud apps we use. These may be good examples that give you ideas of what you can do too, and see the benefits we get from them.
  • #22 Two hatsThese are suggestions, they may not fit for your business, but worth considering.
  • #23 Collaborate with colleagues, customers and suppliers
  • #25 Ditch the hardware,capex, electricity billsSave on hardware, software licensingCloud apps are generally cheap (economy of scale)The cost is in learning, switching
  • #29 bolt together in novel ways
  • #30 Usually everything is possible, but Cost & Time limit.Look for manual processes that could be eliminated. Eliminate paper, manual handling and queuesSell access to existing dataIncrease operational efficiency by automatingFacilitate outsourcingEmpower your customers
  • #31 Regulatory issues Data sovereignty PCITrust Practice good governance Who’s backups do you trust? And security?Limitations Image editing Office and productivityOverlap