Synergi IT's Managing Director Peter Joynson shows how fully engaged customer education provides a framework in which cloud service providers can flourish.
Joynson's relationship with new technology predates the emergence of word processors way back when. He's been in the IT sector ever since, and aside from industry experience shaping his foolproof go-to-market strategies other personal influences are on vivid display. In large part, Joynson attributes his ambition to family factors. These include his father who instilled a familial drive and determination as well as a clear perspective on what is 'really important in life'; and the family office equipment business where Joynson worked immediately after leaving school at 16 years of age.
"This was the beginning of my career in technology," said Joynson. "In the early days it was electronic typewriters followed by word processors and the desktop PC revolution in the late '80s and early '90s. For 30 years my career has reflected developments in software and technology, but the biggest step-change is the rise of cloud technology and SaaS, and Synergi IT is well placed to help drive this transformation."
Since the sale of the family business in 2003 much of Joynson's game plan has been founded on sharp observations of evolving technology; and following a 10 year stint working for a large national services provider he intervened in the market with an immediate purpose. "I began to see the strategic direction companies like Microsoft were moving towards, and noted the growth projections for cloud technology services," explained Joynson. "Justin Short, my co-Director, shared the same vision so we created Synergi IT in 2013 as a Microsoft Cloud and SharePoint focused services partner."
Joynson's mission is to liberate organisations from the outmoded techno-world in which they live - that of legacy premise-based systems. He thrives on the front line, meeting buyers, educating them and generating growth. In Joynson's business plan, education has become an important strategy and there is no shortage of ambition. "We focus on helping to educate the market and become trusted partners to our clients," he added. "We call it Digital Transformation and have secured several great success stories and some excellent client wins as a result. These include regional water supplier Northumbrian Water, care home operator Hadrian Healthcare, and Walker Filtration which manufacturers compressed air filtration and drying equipment."
By far the most positive sign of Synergi IT's advance to date is winning the Nintex Partner of the Year Award 2016, handed over at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto this summer. "Integrating modern business platforms like Nintex, Microsoft Office 365 and Azure can improve and automate what were previously seen as labour intensive processes," noted Joynson. "In doing so, it is now possible to provide better access and greater mobility to business data, improving the user experience with agility. We will continue to invest in the right team and products to secure our hard won position as a leading Microsoft cloud provider in the north of England and Scotland."
Joynson pointed out that every index of Synergi IT's business growth improvement shows a steady upward graph. "We started with a team of four back in 2013," he explained. "Today we are 16 strong and have a talented, experienced and passionate team. Turnover is also tracking headcount growth, while our ability to grow is linked closely to investment in resources and team numbers. We broke through the £1 million turnover mark this year and are well positioned to continue to secure growth through the addition of new Microsoft cloud accounting software solutions to our portfolio in 2017. We also have a robust, expansive customer base that ranges from local SMEs to internationally recognised brands."
The essence of Joynson's market engagement strategy is a total commitment to putting live experiences back at the centre of educational activity. "We've been running educational breakfast workshops for the last 12 months and have another six planned across the north east of England for the year ahead," he stated. "The focus of these free events is to help business leaders better understand the full power of Microsoft cloud and how Synergi IT has the experience and expertise to help them transform their businesses."
Educating buyers about the improving state of ICT enables Synergi IT to identify and nurture the prospects who most readily accept new technology and understand that their progress will ultimately depend on it. "Our proposition is simple: We want to work with businesses that wish to improve," commented Joynson. "Many, if not all, commercial sectors have been under intense economic pressure during the last five years. A lot of organisations have reacted by driving through cost cutting measures, stopping unnecessary purchases and reducing headcount in a bid to remain competitive. However, we want to work with businesses that perceive technology as the way to improve how they sustain long-term efficiency and, ultimately, growth."
Another of Joynson's triumphs is to have overcome one of the industry's biggest challenges - finding the right staff. "The technology market is relentlessly fast paced, so keeping abreast of the changes and developments is a constant challenge," he added. "To do this we have become adept at recruiting high quality talent and built a strong, like-minded and forward thinking team that has an eye on the developing market. We select both experienced and talented IT professionals while searching out an enthusiastic new breed of bright young people who can quickly flourish in a nurturing environment that's also positive, creative and focused.
"Our priority is to ensure that Synergi IT is always a great company to work for and do business with. We will continue to display a positivity and agility in our working relationships with clients. But of course we are only human, so balancing that with the pace of change and a constant need to learn is always a challenge - but one that we relish."
What also excites Joynson is that his portfolio continues to evolve as Microsoft and Nintex release enhanced functions to their solutions. "Since 2013, we have seen massive steps in what can be achieved by Office 365," he added. "No longer is it Word and Excel in the cloud, rather a multi-component business platform that, when implemented well, truly influences how our customers interact with each other and their business data."
Nintex is a key component in Synergi IT's portfolio and a strategic tool to enhance workflows and introduce electronic mobile forms to clients. Often these tools are at the core of delivering cost savings and tangible improvements. "Nintex's new Hawkeye Workflow reporting and Document Generation solutions will play a big part in our ongoing development throughout 2017 and beyond," noted Joynson.
Cue another 2017 product strategy. "Although Microsoft has had offerings in the accounting ERP and CRM space for many years, these software technologies have to date been mainly server based on-premise software deployments," pointed out Joynson. "This is about to change. The emergence of Microsoft Dynamics 365 platforms excites us and we are well placed to build on this opportunity along with the wider Office 365 platform. We have been to Microsoft UK's HQ at Thames Valley Park to align our strategy and we're enthused by the next generation of Dynamics ERP solutions."
The potency of such cloud-based solutions is becoming inherently more influential in a market receptive to change. "We are now seeing huge adoption of cloud technology by all kinds of businesses," noted Joynson. "We spotted the change in technology early and are focused on it. We don't have the distraction or baggage of more traditional IT firms, but we know there is still much to do in terms of education on how modern technology really can make a positive difference. Soon we will all look back and wonder how we ever ran successful businesses with all those servers and software licenses to manage." •