The Tigerpaw Story

Transcription

The Tigerpaw Story

The Tigerpaw Story...
For nearly a quarter century, Tigerpaw Software
has embodied world-class software development
and service excellence. With a unique combination
of creativity, cutting-edge expertise, rock-solid
work ethic, and some well-timed, calculated
risk, Tigerpaw has grown from a small family
operation into a premier provider of end-toend business software – solutions that make
thousands of business partners the world over
run more effectively, efficiently, and profitably.
This is the story of how one singular, powerful
vision spawned a worldwide company on the
forefront of business software technology and
set the new standard for client-centric solution
development, deployment and service.
A history of how a small family operation – founded on a simple ideal years ahead of its time – overcame incredible
adversity and managed to remain a family operation, with a steadfast family approach to what has grown into a global
network of employees, partners, and clients.
Dave & James Foxall, 1985
Tigerpaw Software, 2007
This is the Tigerpaw Story...
Tigerpaw Software, Inc. - The Tigerpaw Story
Unleash the Power of the Tiger!
The Idea
Eye of the Tiger: Dave Foxall
“I never intended to start a family business. I was an
entrepreneur who realized he could not work in the
corporate world.”
– Dave Foxall
CEO, Tigerpaw Software
Dave Foxall began his career as a programmer in the U.S.
Air Force, where he spent six years working with relational
databases for the Strategic Air Command in Omaha,
Neb. He moonlighted for local software development
companies, producing code for projects including a
scheduling system for a major radio station, a membership
management system for
AAA, and an inventory
system for a sporting
goods store.
After the Air Force, and
with a bachelor’s degree
from the University of
Nebraska at Omaha in
hand, he went to work
for Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) as
a software consultant
and started the Omaha
DEC office. One of DEC’s
customers – Union Pacific
(UP) – hired Dave on as
a systems engineer.
He spent the next 10
years at UP, the last few reporting directly to one of
six vice presidents in the company. Dave learned to
adapt his expertise to the wider audience and scrutiny
of the corporate environment and was directly involved
in major software implementations for accounting, law,
purchasing, and operations.
“I was 38 years old with a large salary, six weeks of
vacation, and stock options,” Dave said. “A merger at
UP ended all that and left me in search of a new career
path.”
“I didn’t know it at the time, but that was a fortunate
turn of events and a defining moment.”
The year was 1984, and Dave had set his sights on
going into business for himself. He founded Information
Management Consultants (IMC) and quickly went to
work evaluating, selecting, and implementing systems
for Omaha-area companies.
One of those companies – a major telephone reseller
– had a broad range of critical operational needs that
could not be addressed with any one system or software
solution commercially available at the time.
“That was the spark that set all the wheels in motion.”
Dave dove into the development of a new software
product, embarking on what would become a decadeslong quest to supply service-industry businesses – from
interconnects to contractors to IT and audio-visual
systems integrators – with the technological tools to
more effectively and efficiently run their operations.
The result was TIMES – Telephone Information
Management Evaluation System. It was a revolutionary
step forward in the field of integrated customer
relationship management (CRM), and would serve as the
foundation for the company’s future product offerings.
TIMES accomplished what no other product could at that
time: it synchronized the operational infrastructure of a
full-service business. From front-line prospecting and
sales functions through service and back-office activities,
it enabled a company’s entire staff to track information
more reliably and profitably than ever before.
And, not only did it meet the needs of telephone
resellers, but portions of the product fit the operating
model of a diverse cross-section of the business world –
from accounting firms to video rental shops.
“Back then, the core needs of the service industry were
the same as they are today,” Dave said. “Each business
had a diverse network of customers and prospects,
carried a complex array of inventory, and relied on a
team of service technicians to make the margins.
“Some of the dynamics have changed as these industries
have evolved, but, in essence, businesses needed
a unified system to track all of this disparate data in
order to effectively serve their customers and achieve
profitability. We designed a solution that broke down the
barriers between departments, streamlined operations
top to bottom, and offered a single, never-before-seen
view of the lifeblood of any business – its customers.”
IMC had found its niche and, with Dave at the helm,
shifted away from consulting and custom programming
to concentrate on developing commercial applications
for a larger market.
And so was born Tigerpaw Software.
2201 Thurston Circle, Suite 7 • Bellevue, NE 68005 • 800.704.9009 • www.tigerpawsoftware.com
More than a name
“It’s probably the question I’ve been asked most often
since I started the business,” Dave said. “Everyone
wants to know why it’s called Tigerpaw.”
The answer? Aside from serving as a very memorable
moniker over the years,
the name can be traced
back, simply, to Dave’s
fondness for the breed.
“Tigers parallel my own
philosophies in life,” he
said. “Tigers take up a
strategic position and
they bide their time
targeting what they want.
Then they stop at nothing to get it. They instinctively
know their strengths and weaknesses, and exploit their
strengths to the fullest extent in order to survive.
All in the family
Dave & James Foxall, 2007
Dave had hired his first
programmer – Joe Vogeltanz,
who remains with the company
today. But in order to grow,
the fledgling company needed
more
programming
and
management muscle, and
Dave turned first to his family
for help.
Having extensive programming experience in retail
and commercial software development, Linda joined
Dave and became responsible for
all aspects of the service tracking
functions, the heart and soul of
CRM+. After more than 20 years,
she provides unwavering dedication
to the on-going effort to exceed
industry standards and continually
finds ways to improve the product
even
further
by
attentively
listening to customer suggestions.
Linda Foxall, 2007
Soon after, daughter Chris came
aboard to help in the administrative
area. When the book-keeper of
many years moved on to greener
pastures, Chris took the bull by the
horns and became responsible for
all financial and human resource
issues. She quickly adapted to her new role and
performed all payroll, a/r, a/p, and g/l functions, in
addition to functioning as office manager. Because of
her dedication, Tigerpaw was able to keep all accounting
functions in-house. Chris continues to be instrumental
in moving the company forward in these areas.
Four family members – each with a strong, unique
personality and specialized strengths – came together to
forge a productive, creative, multi-dimensional working
environment.
The key to success early on? Dave said it was the
implementation of some important ground rules.
“We operated under the philosophy that when there is a
disagreement, we won’t solve it by determining who is
right, but what is right for the company and what is in
the best interest of clients.”
With a handful of staff and TIMES gaining traction,
especially among telephone resellers, Tigerpaw Software
was ready to make a run at the business software market,
going head to head with other young CRM products in a
marketplace then in its infancy.
But changes were on the horizon that would shake the
industry and quickly test Tigerpaw’s mettle.
Survival of the fittest
Despite some early regional success with the release
of TIMES, having little initial capital to fall back on,
Tigerpaw was running on financial fumes. The company
had accumulated a large debt to finance hardware,
development tools, and payroll.
Then came the big blow.
One of the company’s big video store clients, for whom
Tigerpaw was supplying both software and computer
hardware, went bankrupt. It set off a chain of events
that put Dave and his young company squarely in the
shadow of failure.
“I had no money, lots of hardware on hand that I couldn’t
move, enormous debt, and 12 employees to pay,” he
said. “We were treading some dangerous waters in
those days.”
Dave and his dedicated team resolved to stay afloat.
“I had to survive,” he said. “I thought, ‘If you stop now,
you lose.’ I just did not want to lose.”
An easy move to make would have been to let some of
the staff go. Dave would not do it. One way or another
– often by adding to the company’s mounting debt –
Tigerpaw always made payroll.
Chris Wright, 2007
work. After a solid year and a half logging 80-hour
weeks of developing, testing, and retesting, he had the
final product: Pursuit.
“Cutting staff was the last thing I wanted to do,” he said.
“We did what we had to do to keep our people paid. The
way I saw it, no matter what, I couldn’t afford to lose
them.”
At the same time, Dave was being actively pursued by
some old contacts back in the corporate world. The high
salary and security tempted him, he admits – but he
steadfastly refused.
“I just could not go back.”
Instead, Dave focused on spreading the word about
Tigerpaw, employing guerilla marketing techniques
to grow the company’s client base. Aggressive fax
advertising – though responsible for monthly phone
bills that often topped $12,000 – gave the company a
medium for its message, which was resonating with
service businesses coast to coast.
Slowly, Tigerpaw climbed back toward the black.
But it was the determination of a younger
Foxall that would lift the company to a new
plateau.
‘Put up or shut up’:
the rise of Pursuit
James Foxall had been earning his stripes
at Tigerpaw designing graphics, stuffing
boxes, and working in sales. Meanwhile, he
recognized that the DOS-based TIMES was
becoming a dinosaur in the rapidly evolving
technology climate of the early 1990s.
“I was whining the entire time about not
having a Windows product,” James said. “It
became either put up or shut up.”
Tigerpaw, still clawing for financial stability,
could not afford to hire another programmer –
especially a high-priced Windows developer. So the
task fell to James.
Dave recalled the family’s challenge: “We told him, ‘You
say we need Windows, but we’re not even sure we do.
So you go do it.’”
Though James had been grappling with computer
programming on his own since grade school, and had
already solidified his reputation within the family as a
lightning-fast learner, this was a monstrous undertaking.
He consumed every book and course he could find on
designing Windows-based applications and went to
Pursuit features a customer relationship management
tool that focuses on improving customer interactions,
better managing the sales pipeline, while maintaining a
consistently high-caliber service level.
Dave and James presented the product that year at
Comdex, the sprawling technology convention in Las
Vegas. It was a hit.
Pursuit attracted the attention of some big industry
players, including Cary Prague, a renowned developer
and author of dozens of how-to computer books.
Prague described his reaction to the emergence of
Pursuit in a 1997 newspaper article: “This young kid had
developed a product that was better than the stuff we
had built, and we’ve been in the business for years.”
Tiger on the loose
Not only did Pursuit earn James the respect
of the computer industry’s intellectual elite,
it attracted the attention of Microsoft, in
the form of a prized certification from the
software giant.
That endorsement triggered a slate of
new exposure for Tigerpaw, from inclusion
in software experts’ publications and the
Windows catalog to a slot at Microsoft’s
global summit in Toronto, where Dave
and James showed Pursuit to some 3,500
Microsoft sales reps from 34 countries.
Microsoft’s blessing had reshaped the
company’s market focus. Rather than
continuing to go head to head with other
CRM products, Tigerpaw sets its sights on
businesses that were using existing Microsoft
suite products.
Sales skyrocketed. Tigerpaw shipped Pursuit
to service companies inhabiting every corner
of the globe and signed on dozens of software
resellers to Pursuit contracts. Responses to reviews
in industry publications were lighting up the Tigerpaw
switchboard. For the first time in its 12-year history, the
company was hitting on all cylinders.
“We were riding high, distancing ourselves from the
competition and really making some noise in the
marketplace,” Dave said. “But we knew better than
to rest on our laurels. A good year can tempt you into
complacency, but technology can leave you behind in a
hurry.”
The clients’ roar
James, Linda, and the rest of the Tigerpaw programming
team quickly went about improving on Pursuit’s
architecture. Built on Microsoft Access, it was simply
too bulky and slow to run efficiently on some clients’
systems. The cost to upgrade
memory in those days was
prohibitive, and Tigerpaw
watched some of its client
base turn to slimmer, faster
software packages.
In
response,
Tigerpaw
introduced
in
1997
a
retooled Pursuit, rewritten
in Visual Basic. The product
was quick and responsive
without compromising the
broad functionality that had
distinguished it as a top-flight
enterprise-wide solution.
Redeveloping Pursuit, Dave
said, was an important lesson for Tigerpaw.
“Here we had this application that had received all this
wonderful acclaim from the industry’s heavy hitters,”
he said. “But down in the trenches, businesses weren’t
equipped with the hardware to handle it, and we had to
either fix it quickly or go down as another interesting
boutique product that didn’t fly in the real world. We
chose to fix it.
“That was when we learned to never take our eyes off the
needs of the client. It’s the difference between thriving
and going extinct.”
And, indeed, Tigerpaw did thrive. The new Pursuit both
lived up to its original critical acclaim and performed
like a well-oiled piece of machinery that more and more
service-based businesses were finding they couldn’t live
without.
“ We really trust Tigerpaw Software. Our entire business
is wrapped around processes initiated, tracked, and
documented in Tigerpaw CRM+. We have around 2,500
customers, many in remote markets, yet with a relatively
small staff we can service each one like they are our
only concern. Perhaps more importantly, using Tigerpaw
CRM+ we can be sure all our clients are billed properly
for the great services they expect from us. We simply
could not do as much with out it,” says longtime user
Tom Hanson of Pinnacle Wireless LCC.
“We have used Tigerpaw for about 15 years. It has
been an essential tool for our business. Through the use
of Tigerpaw we are able to measure key areas of our
business, and make sound decisions. Through the use
of Time Logs we have improved our productivity by 50%.
To run your business you need to measure performance,
and Tigerpaw is the tool to do it with,” says Scott Hobbs,
President of ComTech Systems, Inc.
What doesn’t kill you…
The maturing company hadn’t yet seen the last of
turmoil, though.
Hard times were abruptly revisited when a huge
contract with a national computer distributor went bust
a day before shipment. Then, just as the company
was completing another massive development and
enhancement effort to roll out version 8 of the Tigerpaw
Business Suite – the name “Pursuit” had since been
relegated to one of the modules within the larger
product – demand for Windows-based CRM software
was effectively drying up.
“No one wanted to switch from DOS to Windows, and
it wasn’t just our industry. It was everywhere,” James
said. “Right or wrong, word had spread that the new
technology provided a slick interface but had inferior
functionality and performance speed. It was one of
those trends that sprung out of some misconceptions
and bad examples and ran amok.
“Unfortunately, for us, it had a tremendous negative
impact. Here we had just invested many months and
a lot of resources in a new version, and no one was
buying.”
And so ensued another round of struggles at Tigerpaw.
And again, Dave did what he had to do to keep operations
afloat and his staff supplied with paychecks.
Meanwhile, a larger trend was beginning to emerge, as
the dot-com bubble began to show signs of reaching
critical mass. It was an uneasy, if not dangerous, time
for many technology firms. Tigerpaw watched some of
its contemporaries – several competitors among them
– shutting their doors. Tech workers everywhere were
jumping ship for more stable seas back in the corporate
world. But the staff at Tigerpaw remained loyal,
remembering Dave’s sacrifices and resilience during
earlier uncertain times.
If Tigerpaw was going to sink, the crew was going down
with it.
Soon, three little letters – Y2K – would clear the
skies and change the company’s fortunes.
inventory tracking and control functionality. The service
management capabilities were expanded to round
out a robust, fully integrated, four-pronged business
management solution.
A fortuitous scare
Undeterred by the perfect storm surrounding it, Tigerpaw
pushed on with another enhancement-laden product
release – Business Suite Version 9. The year was 1999,
and the old DOS guard was methodically disbanding in
the wake of a rapidly spreading technology scare. Its
name was Y2K.
The acronym was
quickly
becoming
synonymous with a
growing
computer
doomsday
scenario
in which the calendar
would
turn
over
to 2000 and, with
inadequate two-year
designators
coded
into the old standby
software, all data
would be lost as
systems would come
crashing down.
For Tigerpaw, the timing of this global scare could not
have been better.
“Y2K saved our stripes,” Dave said. “Suddenly, everyone
wanted a Windows-based system. We marketed with
the message, ‘Don’t lose your data in Y2K. Use our new
Windows-based Version 9.’”
It worked. The old resistance to the Windows platform
had been shattered for good, and businesses rushed to
make the switch. Sales of Tigerpaw Business Suite 9
went through the roof.
Riding high – and paying back
Things didn’t slow down for Tigerpaw with the turn of
the calendar page. Y2K came and went, and when the
books closed on 2000, the company had banked its most
successful year to date. Dave paid back all of the firm’s
outstanding debt – not just to the creditors, but also
to the friends who had loaned him cash or consulting
services through the years.
These key changes to the package had given Tigerpaw’s
sales staff all the additional ammunition it would need
to introduce the Business Suite to new vertical markets,
and delve deeper into the firm’s existing markets. What
the company lacked in mainstream advertising resources
it more than made up for with the gumption of its tightknit, highly talented band of salespeople.
“Our salespeople then – just as they are now – were
so very key to the company’s success,” Dave said. “We
have been blessed since early on with an
incredibly talented group who really believed
in the product and its ability to transform a
client’s business. That honest dedication
strikes a chord with business owners and
operators. It’s an infectious attitude.”
With a renowned, cutting-edge application
development team led by James, a highly
proficient sales force led by Dave, a worldwide
network of reseller partners, and hundreds
of satisfied clients comprising thousands of
users, Tigerpaw Software had come into its
own.
In 2002, Business Suite 9 Enterprise was
released, which leveraged the superior
database power of SQL as its backbone. This update kept
the application at the front of the pack technologically
and supported larger numbers of simultaneous users.
Hence, as clients grew their operations and staff,
Tigerpaw’s solution managed to grow with them.
One more major evolution was on the way, one that
would establish Tigerpaw, once and for all, as the gold
standard provider of CRM and professional service
automation (PSA) software solutions.
By 2005, Tigerpaw had grown to the point where a new
larger facility was required. Linda and Chris took the
lead, finding and acquiring a 15,000 square foot building
which is Tigerpaw Software’s current headquarters.
Linda and Chris worked hard to architect and design a
functional and beautiful work place.
Tigerpaw beefed up its staff and moved its headquarters
to a larger facility in nearby Bellevue, Neb. There the
development team forged ahead, growing the application
and keeping well out in front of the competition with
a new Parts module that gave users formidable
Redefining CRM
Development on an all-new version began in earnest in
2002. Three years later, the company unveiled Tigerpaw
CRM+ version 10.
Housed within were a host of new features and expanded
functionality. Chief among them were a revamped and
much-improved user interface, brand new features
like project management and subcontractor support,
enhanced business analytics highlighted by a new
dashboard, and expanded customization tools.
“...Tigerpaw Software gave us version 10 of its Tigerpaw
CRM+, and confessed to something unusual in the
software industry: they actually listened to what their
customers wanted. Shocking. I’d say, ‘soon, everyone
will be doing it,’ but I know that’s patently untrue. Kudos
to Tigerpaw.”
– Tracey E. Schelmetic
Editorial Director,
Customer Interaction Solutions magazine
One year later, CRM+ version 10.5 was released as a
free upgrade for existing version 10 clients. It added,
among other enhancements, Service Order Escalation,
Time Slips, QuickSale, and Managed Services Integrator
to the venerable application.
James called the release a proactive effort to meet the
rapidly evolving needs of its user base.
“Most software companies freeze
a product at its release,” he
said. “Tigerpaw prefers to be
more flexible, which allows us to
release features beyond what’s
been promised, providing our
customers with more value and
better ROI.”
In all, more than 1,000 user-requested
enhancements were folded into the
release, bolstering the product’s core
functionality of contact management,
sales force and marketing automation,
service management, and inventory
control.
CRM+ catapulted the company
to unprecedented new heights in
terms of revenue, clients wins,
and traction in both its traditional
markets and new verticals. Several
key integration partnerships with
developers of complementary
solutions also fueled the growth,
as did the addition of key
personnel in development, quality
assurance, training and education,
sales, and marketing.
“We are extremely proud of version
10,” James was quoted in the product’s
press release. “Our goal from day one
of this project has been to exceed
the expectations of even our most
demanding clients, and we feel we’ve
achieved that.”
Tigerpaw had set its sights on version
10 as not just an expansion and
enhancement of the feature set, but
also a significant improvement in terms
of user experience. Tigerpaw CRM+
supported a larger screen size, provided
a new explorer bar for nimble system
navigation, supported high-color icons,
and employed passive task and workflow
notifications.
Other notable enhancements included a new group
calendar, international date support, progressive billing
functionality, payment tracking, an enhanced security
model, improved RMA tracking, unlimited pricing levels,
and unlimited user-defined custom fields throughout the
application.
“CRM+ filled the software needs of many types of
businesses not just here in North America, but throughout
the world,” Dave said. “It marked the culmination of a
three-year quest to truly redefine CRM.”
Dave points out, though, that it
all boils down to the company’s
relationship with its clients. That,
he said, is where Tigerpaw –
through nearly a quarter century of trials, tribulations,
and breathtaking achievement – truly has earned its
stripes.
“Advancing the product and building strategic
partnerships are important, sure,” he said. “And bringing
the right people on board at the right time cannot be
underestimated.
“But client referrals continue to drive Tigerpaw. We’re
fortunate to have a lot of happy customers who spread
the good word about us.”
And the industry press took notice.
Today at Tigerpaw...
Dave continues to lead Tigerpaw in the deployment of
new technologies and the expansion of its worldwide
dealer and distributor channels.
James, in addition to leading the world-class development
team at Tigerpaw, is a renowned technology authority
with 14 published books to his credit.
Tigerpaw Software – profitable and debt-free – has grown
to 34 employees and a client base of more than 14,000
users in 28 countries. Despite its growth, Tigerpaw
remains a family-owned firm that specializes in helping
a wide range of clients better run their business with a
complete, 360-degree view of their operations.
Tigerpaw CRM+ is the recipient of the 2006 and 2007
CRM Excellence Award, the 2005 and 2006 Customer
Interaction Solutions Product of the Year Award, and
the 2005 Communications Solutions Product of the Year
Award.
For more information, contact Tigerpaw at 800.704.9009;
by email at [email protected]; or visit
www.tigerpawsoftware.com.
Part of the Tigerpaw Family!
Mollie
Harley

The Tigerpaw Story

Transcription

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