Startup history ROI4CIO: Is it possible to automate the sale of IT solutions in the B2B sector and not only?
We conceived our project because we saw how inefficient the sales process of large and small IT technologies, programs and services are. Sales of “cool IT technologies” are carried out “in the old manner”, by manual calculations of specifications (estimates). The idea of our ROI4CIO resource is to minimize the extra costs of IT participants in finding each other and creating interaction tools in the sales chain.
Generally speaking: the challenge for the CIO of the client’s company is not to lose sight of the choice of IT solution. The main task of an IT supplier is to correctly allocate quotas, “predict” what the client will need to solve his tasks and pre-order the delivery of the necessary elements for the client's IT solution. ROI4CIO - conceived as an assistant who will show IT directors the benefits of IT technology before they purchase. The service also helps automate the sales chain for IT suppliers and customers.
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Members of our team have experience in the IT field from 5 to 25 years, both in the role of software developers and in the role of sellers of IT products. We were always interested in the question: “What benefits do IT technologies bring? How to see the benefits and benefits of IT technology even before the introduction? Existing ROI calculators of IT products seemed to us difficult and inconclusive, and the theoretical rationale for these solutions did not have any experienced confirmation. Therefore, we decided to make our service, which would take into account the shortcomings of attempts to automate IT sales.
CIO faces the challenge of choosing an IT product that will make a profit or may reduce the risk of loss. The selection process is usually very long, which includes both the search for information in disparate resources and the involvement of various IT market players: resellers, integrators, distributors, suppliers. As they say, with the world on a thread. At best, they manage by announcing tenders and consulting with colleagues at the local CIO club, but at worst - choosing the most “popular” IT product.
The choice of an IT product must solve individual business problems in a particular industry, with various organizational features. ROI4CIO for employed CIOs and CFOs consolidated the IT industry experience in a single environment: IT vendor products that are included in the IT solutions of suppliers, implemented by users, confirmed by companies that integrated the IT solution and provided real ROI for their industry .
IT solutions can be found by simple search through filters or by neurosearch. For IT solutions, IT buyers can calculate expert pricing of the product, ROI for their organizational features, and send a request for a commercial offer to all suppliers in the industry with ready-made specifications, which significantly speeds up the process of completing the transaction, integration and investment.
There are other IT market players who are the audience of the project - IT manufacturers and suppliers: developers, resellers, integrators, distributors, consultants. In their daily work, the IT provider is puzzled by the search for a partner for cooperation and a client for business development, the expenditure of resources on a usually lengthy and costly procedure for evaluating specifications.
Suppliers of the ROI4CIO project are interested in getting hot leads - the buyer himself applies to them for a commercial offer. Also, the supplier can reduce its cost of creating specifications, once creating a price calculator for their products and an ROI calculator. And here you should not think about any general assessments.
Calculators are in the nature of a formalized interview, where each subsequent question depends on the answer to the previous one - the calculator can be set as detailed and individual as possible depending on the complexity of the product. Also through the resource provider can find potential users, a potential portfolio of solutions that are complementary to existing ones or the most suitable for existing users.
The expansion of the partner channel occurs through sending a partnership request to manufacturers and suppliers with partner discounts included in the partner channel, taking into account the necessary confidentiality, and receiving such requests from counterparties.
At the beginning of the development of ROI4CIO in 2015, the following requirements were placed on the system:
During the project implementation the following tools / technologies were used:
Initially, we thought about making a catalog of solutions that would allow us to select solutions upon requests and offer lead-opportunities to suppliers. A year later, the development went to the alpha version stage. Further development of the service idea gave an understanding that suppliers will not only be interested in a directory, but automation of quoting is more in demand (- creating specifications-estimates for customers), since IT vendors have the lion's share of working time and are performed most often the old way ”- manually, in tables Exel.
We tested the alpha version at 27 representatives of supplier companies, users and manufacturers (including major distributor companies, integrators and manufacturers of IT technologies - vendor companies).
At this stage, 200 vendors and as many of their products with implementations, more than 1000 suppliers and the same number of IT users in the CIS were introduced into the database. Our testing has shown that IT providers, by automating quota processes, costing and ROI by 50% -70%, are faster to make specifications and complex business proposals for customers. Also received a proposal on the convenience of customer service: for example, a responsive website for the mobile version and integration with Linkedin (already implemented).
We believe that this is undoubtedly the automation of quoting (the calculation of price specifications), which has become a discovery. Sending customers a request for consultation and a commercial offer to suppliers became a logical addition to the functionality. Later it became possible to attach ready-made individual price specifications to a commercial offer request. The ROI calculator has been improved, and the addition to the service has been the ability to leave feedback on deployments from organizations where IT solutions have been installed. For the central function of the project - selection of IT solutions - a neural network algorithm was developed.
Suppose a client has the following task: time tracking of employees to improve work efficiency. The user of the service receives a choice of several solutions, which are ranked in percentage by coincidence with its parameters (number of employees, security requirement, etc.), based on the results of customer implementations. The user can, using one button, get the configuration and price of a complex solution and send a request to all suppliers of this solution in the desired country.
ROI-calculator for calculating the return on investment individually for the organizational characteristics of different companies
ROI4CIO is an online channel for partner sales of manufacturers, distributors and IT suppliers. The resource contains information about all market players and the results of their work, not limited geographically. In the last iteration for suppliers, partner sales functionality was improved: sending and receiving a partnership request (manufacturer, distributor, reseller), special discounts for a client / partner / distributor, calculation of margin and price indication for the end user or supplier depending on the status of the company.
Depending on the scope of business and tasks, the neural network algorithm will help you choose an IT solution for any IT user / buyer.
After a year of development, we made a mistake - without feedback from the clients of the service, all the forces of the team directed to the development of new functions, and not to improve what we have already done - the existing functionality. It cost us another year of development. Although the feedback from the users already then could help us better “feel” the ground, so as not to try to do “everything at once”, but what the customers of the service need in the first place, and what functionality can be added later.
The main difficulty is difficult to convey the value and capabilities of the resource. At the first impression, most visitors think that this is an online store or a kind of marketplace with a catalog. The core values of services are hidden inside: ROI calculators, the ability to create them for yourself, search for leads, and receive requests, etc. Only by registering and working, the resource user understands how important ANALYTICS is available to him, how he can reduce costs in the sales chain and increase IT sales.
For IT buyers, all the features of ROI4CIO are available free of charge: simple and neural network selection of IT solutions, evaluation of the cost of IT products and solutions, ROI calculation, sending a request to suppliers and receiving a commercial offer.
For registered suppliers and vendors of IT solutions, most of the functions are available for free, apart from receiving requests from customers for their products. IT providers will be available paid subscriptions.
The business model of the project is based on the provision of paid subscriptions ($ 49, $ 99, $ 199 and Enterprise tariff) for those suppliers and manufacturers of IT products and solutions who want to receive requests for their products and solutions from users.
Also, commercial users receive a multi-user mode of operation: - the account includes employees of the company, - enhanced partner sales opportunities for distributors and manufacturers, - access to information about end users and much more. The planned timeline for reaching the project payback period is at least two years, taking into account continuous investment in development.
During beta testing, the service is available free of charge for customers and for IT suppliers.
Currently, the project in its first version is ready for beta testing. In total, more than 300 of the largest IT manufacturers have been introduced for testing, 450 of their products, more than 3000 of the largest suppliers and 2000 of the largest IT users in the CIS, Europe and the USA. Total introduced about 300 implementations.
Now our project is in the testing stage and we invite readers to poke buttons and give our team feedback.
The team of the ROI4CIO startup includes 16 people, project managers, programmers, testers, designers, and also among the project team there is a science math analyst, the project affiliate is located in Ukraine and Europe, the experience of participants in IT projects from 5 to 25 years.
Date of commencement of work on the project: 01.09.2015
Alpha testing date 10/15/2016
Date of beta testing 10/25/2017
Since the project has to accommodate the entire IT market, a lot of time was spent on its development — about 8,000 hours, of which: 200 hours — on planning and developing an architecture that would ensure the project's operation, work with large amounts of data and large loads , as well as the possibility of integration with third-party systems.
800 hours - in business analysis and requirements analysis; 500 hours - for the development of appearance;
4000 hours - for programming; 2000 hours - for testing; about 300 hours - building a neural network. Various technologies were used, including PHP, JavaScript, etc.
https://www.slideshare.net/ROI4CIO/roi4cio-about-project
UPD: oembed with a slideshow for some reason does not want to work
Generally speaking: the challenge for the CIO of the client’s company is not to lose sight of the choice of IT solution. The main task of an IT supplier is to correctly allocate quotas, “predict” what the client will need to solve his tasks and pre-order the delivery of the necessary elements for the client's IT solution. ROI4CIO - conceived as an assistant who will show IT directors the benefits of IT technology before they purchase. The service also helps automate the sales chain for IT suppliers and customers.
')
Members of our team have experience in the IT field from 5 to 25 years, both in the role of software developers and in the role of sellers of IT products. We were always interested in the question: “What benefits do IT technologies bring? How to see the benefits and benefits of IT technology even before the introduction? Existing ROI calculators of IT products seemed to us difficult and inconclusive, and the theoretical rationale for these solutions did not have any experienced confirmation. Therefore, we decided to make our service, which would take into account the shortcomings of attempts to automate IT sales.
CIO faces the challenge of choosing an IT product that will make a profit or may reduce the risk of loss. The selection process is usually very long, which includes both the search for information in disparate resources and the involvement of various IT market players: resellers, integrators, distributors, suppliers. As they say, with the world on a thread. At best, they manage by announcing tenders and consulting with colleagues at the local CIO club, but at worst - choosing the most “popular” IT product.
The choice of an IT product must solve individual business problems in a particular industry, with various organizational features. ROI4CIO for employed CIOs and CFOs consolidated the IT industry experience in a single environment: IT vendor products that are included in the IT solutions of suppliers, implemented by users, confirmed by companies that integrated the IT solution and provided real ROI for their industry .
IT solutions can be found by simple search through filters or by neurosearch. For IT solutions, IT buyers can calculate expert pricing of the product, ROI for their organizational features, and send a request for a commercial offer to all suppliers in the industry with ready-made specifications, which significantly speeds up the process of completing the transaction, integration and investment.
There are other IT market players who are the audience of the project - IT manufacturers and suppliers: developers, resellers, integrators, distributors, consultants. In their daily work, the IT provider is puzzled by the search for a partner for cooperation and a client for business development, the expenditure of resources on a usually lengthy and costly procedure for evaluating specifications.
Suppliers of the ROI4CIO project are interested in getting hot leads - the buyer himself applies to them for a commercial offer. Also, the supplier can reduce its cost of creating specifications, once creating a price calculator for their products and an ROI calculator. And here you should not think about any general assessments.
Calculators are in the nature of a formalized interview, where each subsequent question depends on the answer to the previous one - the calculator can be set as detailed and individual as possible depending on the complexity of the product. Also through the resource provider can find potential users, a potential portfolio of solutions that are complementary to existing ones or the most suitable for existing users.
The expansion of the partner channel occurs through sending a partnership request to manufacturers and suppliers with partner discounts included in the partner channel, taking into account the necessary confidentiality, and receiving such requests from counterparties.
At the beginning of the development of ROI4CIO in 2015, the following requirements were placed on the system:
- Security - because the system contains a lot of confidential pricing information, profitability, various kinds of calculations
- Fast data processing - the system must be able to provide a comprehensive calculation for thousands of products in real time
- Scalable - the platform should allow easy access to new markets
- Multilingual - the platform should be used worldwide
- Clarity - the platform should provide an easy way to modify the solution, selection logic, pricing and ROI
- “Sustainability” - the technology should allow easy support in the future
During the project implementation the following tools / technologies were used:
- TYPO3 CMS as a platform that defines the structure of the system
- PHP and JavaScript to build basic functionality and complex internal architecture
- FANN php library - to build a neural network
- Semantic UI for interface design development
- DB - MariaDB for fast data processing
Initially, we thought about making a catalog of solutions that would allow us to select solutions upon requests and offer lead-opportunities to suppliers. A year later, the development went to the alpha version stage. Further development of the service idea gave an understanding that suppliers will not only be interested in a directory, but automation of quoting is more in demand (- creating specifications-estimates for customers), since IT vendors have the lion's share of working time and are performed most often the old way ”- manually, in tables Exel.
We tested the alpha version at 27 representatives of supplier companies, users and manufacturers (including major distributor companies, integrators and manufacturers of IT technologies - vendor companies).
At this stage, 200 vendors and as many of their products with implementations, more than 1000 suppliers and the same number of IT users in the CIS were introduced into the database. Our testing has shown that IT providers, by automating quota processes, costing and ROI by 50% -70%, are faster to make specifications and complex business proposals for customers. Also received a proposal on the convenience of customer service: for example, a responsive website for the mobile version and integration with Linkedin (already implemented).
Main achievement
We believe that this is undoubtedly the automation of quoting (the calculation of price specifications), which has become a discovery. Sending customers a request for consultation and a commercial offer to suppliers became a logical addition to the functionality. Later it became possible to attach ready-made individual price specifications to a commercial offer request. The ROI calculator has been improved, and the addition to the service has been the ability to leave feedback on deployments from organizations where IT solutions have been installed. For the central function of the project - selection of IT solutions - a neural network algorithm was developed.
Suppose a client has the following task: time tracking of employees to improve work efficiency. The user of the service receives a choice of several solutions, which are ranked in percentage by coincidence with its parameters (number of employees, security requirement, etc.), based on the results of customer implementations. The user can, using one button, get the configuration and price of a complex solution and send a request to all suppliers of this solution in the desired country.
ROI-calculator for calculating the return on investment individually for the organizational characteristics of different companies
ROI4CIO is an online channel for partner sales of manufacturers, distributors and IT suppliers. The resource contains information about all market players and the results of their work, not limited geographically. In the last iteration for suppliers, partner sales functionality was improved: sending and receiving a partnership request (manufacturer, distributor, reseller), special discounts for a client / partner / distributor, calculation of margin and price indication for the end user or supplier depending on the status of the company.
Depending on the scope of business and tasks, the neural network algorithm will help you choose an IT solution for any IT user / buyer.
After a year of development, we made a mistake - without feedback from the clients of the service, all the forces of the team directed to the development of new functions, and not to improve what we have already done - the existing functionality. It cost us another year of development. Although the feedback from the users already then could help us better “feel” the ground, so as not to try to do “everything at once”, but what the customers of the service need in the first place, and what functionality can be added later.
The main difficulty is difficult to convey the value and capabilities of the resource. At the first impression, most visitors think that this is an online store or a kind of marketplace with a catalog. The core values of services are hidden inside: ROI calculators, the ability to create them for yourself, search for leads, and receive requests, etc. Only by registering and working, the resource user understands how important ANALYTICS is available to him, how he can reduce costs in the sales chain and increase IT sales.
Monetization
For IT buyers, all the features of ROI4CIO are available free of charge: simple and neural network selection of IT solutions, evaluation of the cost of IT products and solutions, ROI calculation, sending a request to suppliers and receiving a commercial offer.
For registered suppliers and vendors of IT solutions, most of the functions are available for free, apart from receiving requests from customers for their products. IT providers will be available paid subscriptions.
The business model of the project is based on the provision of paid subscriptions ($ 49, $ 99, $ 199 and Enterprise tariff) for those suppliers and manufacturers of IT products and solutions who want to receive requests for their products and solutions from users.
Also, commercial users receive a multi-user mode of operation: - the account includes employees of the company, - enhanced partner sales opportunities for distributors and manufacturers, - access to information about end users and much more. The planned timeline for reaching the project payback period is at least two years, taking into account continuous investment in development.
During beta testing, the service is available free of charge for customers and for IT suppliers.
Currently, the project in its first version is ready for beta testing. In total, more than 300 of the largest IT manufacturers have been introduced for testing, 450 of their products, more than 3000 of the largest suppliers and 2000 of the largest IT users in the CIS, Europe and the USA. Total introduced about 300 implementations.
Now our project is in the testing stage and we invite readers to poke buttons and give our team feedback.
About the team
The team of the ROI4CIO startup includes 16 people, project managers, programmers, testers, designers, and also among the project team there is a science math analyst, the project affiliate is located in Ukraine and Europe, the experience of participants in IT projects from 5 to 25 years.
Facts about the project:
Date of commencement of work on the project: 01.09.2015
Alpha testing date 10/15/2016
Date of beta testing 10/25/2017
Since the project has to accommodate the entire IT market, a lot of time was spent on its development — about 8,000 hours, of which: 200 hours — on planning and developing an architecture that would ensure the project's operation, work with large amounts of data and large loads , as well as the possibility of integration with third-party systems.
800 hours - in business analysis and requirements analysis; 500 hours - for the development of appearance;
4000 hours - for programming; 2000 hours - for testing; about 300 hours - building a neural network. Various technologies were used, including PHP, JavaScript, etc.
Presentation with diagrams of how the functionality of the service works:
https://www.slideshare.net/ROI4CIO/roi4cio-about-project
UPD: oembed with a slideshow for some reason does not want to work
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/342860/
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