View Entry

Company: Synergiq Ltd
Project: Mobliq

http://www.synergiq.co.uk/business_software/mobliq/

Dates: Jul 2007 to Jul 2007

Attachments:

How did the project start?

In our work as multi-disciplinary business consultants we saw an increasing number of businesses where keeping up with the paper trail created by managing remote or field-based staff and services had become impossible. Staff in the field and at base were working with out of date information, paperwork was coming in to the centre from a from a variety of sources and through a range of channels, and extra work was being created in the form of data that had to be manually transferred to the ICT framework at the centre. Time was being wasted, effort was being duplicated and management reporting was neither real-time nor accessible.

Devising an affordable, scaleable system where handheld portable devices could communicate with a central ICT framework set on any platform, and had easy to use importing, exporting and updating facilities was the obvious solution to a problem affecting thousands of businesses with field-based staff.

What options did you consider?

Detailed research into the marketplace, including fully evaluating existing solutions, revealed that the available off the shelf products were unwieldy and difficult to implement, while bespoke solutions were extremely expensive and way beyond the reach of SMEs. This led us to develop our own product - Mobliq. We tested all of the underlying technologies that were available before deciding upon a platform that delivered absolute flexibility and functionality.

Having spoken to a series of existing customers across varying industries and of all sizes, we identified the common needs for a solution of this type and set out to develop the framework for a generic product that could accommodate all business sizes and sectors.

We ran extensive trials on test sites, installing the system into several customer businesses, and analysed user feedback to develop and enhance what was eventually launched as Mobliq.

What help and expertise did you receive?

Other than market research data, talking to our clients about their needs, and testing the early systems on their sites, we received no research and development advice or funding from any other source. The entire project was carried out and funded through our own resources.

Did you face any challenges or learn any lessons?

It became clear that the initial technology we based the first phase of the devices around would in the long term make managing very high volumes of activity logistically very difficult. As Mobliq was designed to suit the needs of the SME market, growth capabilities were identified as a key factor in its successful adoption and we therefore re-designed the delivery platform to make the software modular and easy to adopt for a variety of markets. This enables high volumes of sales to be delivered without the need for increased manpower.

What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?

Mobliq is new established across a range of client sectors and is proving popular with the energy, telecoms and courier sectors, thanks to its ability to capture images and signatures and providing field staff with a live feed to up to date job details, parts status, job reassignment data and a host of other information. It has slashed the ‘job to invoice’ timescale and provides management with a real time operations overview, while monthly leasing options starting from £15 per device per month put them firmly in control of costs.

We believe Mobliq is the future of our business. It is a global product in a rapidly expanding sector of the ICT market - mobile data communications. We expect it to play a key part in our exponential growth plans.

What are your plans for the future?

We have already made inroads into several vertical markets such as heating / plumbing, domestic / commercial service, insulation companies, and plan to exploit our share of those markets while opening up new ones. We intend to recruit at least one new sales person in the next six months to join our nine-strong team, to target new vertical markets we have identified. Other new roles will be created as the business grows, currently estimated at three new jobs within the next year.

We plan to exploit the strategic partnership we have with O2 and other mobile phone distributors to introduce Mobliq to their respective customer bases.

We also intend to license the product for sale overseas and pursue the global market opportunities that Mobliq presents.