Bradford-based Lily Communications Managing Director Chris Morrisey has bounced back from a serious health scare with the same high levels of energy and enthusiasm that attracted him to the telecoms industry 15 years ago.
Morrisey is a changed man. No longer seduced by beer, curry and TV he dedicates himself to a disciplined lifestyle where smoothies, salads and fitness training dominate. Such is the life changing influence of surviving a heart attack. His company, Lily Communications, has also undergone a transformation, prompted by arresting changes within the comms industry. Although not life threatening, running a business is also a case of survival of the fittest and Morrisey is limbering up for a long-term and fruitful future. "By 2018 I fully expect Lily Comms to be a multi-million pound organisation," he stated. "Everything we are doing now is geared towards us becoming recognisable and respected within the industry."
Lily Comms was founded in 2009 by Morrisey and business partner Adrian Jackson who shared a vision to build a business that other telecoms companies would aspire to emulate. "I share the highs and the lows with Adrian, bounce ideas off him, sometimes he has the right ideas, sometimes I do, but together we eventually get it right," said Morrisey.
The company now has a headcount of 23, boasts £2.2 million turnover and expects £500k growth for 2013 and £750k this year. Its 2,000 customer base is split between 90 per cent SME customers and 10 per cent corporate. And notably, growth has been spurred in no small part by a strategic change of direction.
"We have shifted our primary focus from providing outsourced engineering for other telecom companies to concentrating on our own direct customer base," noted Morrisey. "Our engineering background has served us well in terms of customer acquisition. We are able to approach companies to provide solutions based on our knowledge bank. A key focus will be on the acquisition of SME customers through our own sales team and by building partnerships with resellers of our portfolio. We are aiming to increase turnover by 100 per cent over the next two years. This is an ambitious target, but one we feel is achievable based on the course we are currently taking."
The company will continue to adapt its portfolio to align with trends in the industry, so not surprisingly VoIP, hosted and hybrid solutions are now a prominent part of the Lily Comms proposition. "We have also focused on expanding our network services customer base," explained Morrisey. "By working with our suppliers, Gamma and Pragma, we are able to offer our customers a total telecoms solution under one roof. We will launch a mobile side to the business at some point in 2014. Thirty per cent of our sales are now software-based applications that integrate with phone systems. And as customers increasingly demand more from products and services we will actively push applications alongside system sales."
Another important development within Lily Comms is the priority it now gives to customer focus. "We aim to instil a passion within our staff to deliver a high level of service to prospective and existing customers," added Morrisey. "We have put significant resource into improving customer services and after sales service. Customer issues have decreased dramatically over the year. On the rare occasions customers do experience issues they are dealt with swiftly and effectively."
During the past year Lily Comms has also made some key appointments in senior management. Neil Harrison joined the firm as Head of Network Services with a remit to grow the calls, lines and broadband side of the business while focusing on upselling to the existing customer base. "We also recognised the need to promote our business more effectively due to realigning our focus to direct sales as opposed to outsourced engineering," commented Morrisey. "So we brought James Waplington on board as Marketing Manager and his approach to marketing and lead generation has led to a 55 per cent increase in direct sales compared to this time last year.
"We have had to lose people along the way who did not fit in with the company's beliefs, but the workforce now is the most dedicated group of people I have worked with. We will continue to add like minded people to the team as the business grows. Whenever I interview someone I always position the company as an opportunity provider. If someone comes into the business, works hard and delivers results there will always be room for them to progress within the company."
Lily Communications' success is closely linked to its key channel partners. Pragma, the distributor for Ericsson-LG products in the UK, supplies most of Lily's hardware and software, while Gamma provides network services and hosted products. "Gamma's range of products has enabled us to offer more to our customers," added Morrisey. "In 2014 we will put further resource into selling Gamma's hosted solution, Horizon."
A handy knack for turning foresight into strategic action is just one of the attributes that contribute towards Morrisey's success. Self belief, knowledge and skill are equally important. "It is vital to always believe in what you are doing and to do it with passion, even if you make the wrong decisions," he commented. "I learned early in my career that mistakes are part and parcel of being an entrepreneur. You have to learn from those mistakes.
"I've been in telecoms since 1998 and I'm always learning new things. We're fortunate to be in an industry that is constantly changing. Still being in telecoms after 15 years and enjoying it is my greatest achievement. I've seen so many people fail, give up or fall out of love with the industry that I am extremely grateful to be successful and enjoying work as much as ever."•