Q&A with Patrick Clements, Co-Founder and CEO, bigWebApps
Atlanta-based bigWebApps offers an on-demand help desk and customer support software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. Its flagship product, bigWebApps HelpDesk, has been adopted by more than 100,000 users within the SMB and K-12/higher education markets. The company was founded in 2001 and is currently seeking series A funding.
StartUp Beat: What is your primary value proposition for users?
Patrick Clements: bigWebApps provides an integrated suite of SaaS solutions, including HelpDesk, Asset Management and Warehouse Fulfillment, for support services. We offer an easy-to-use, low risk, high adoption platform that enables organizations to quickly implement a customer support solution built on a proven Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, process.
Organizations that need visibility into their support process and want to improve customer satisfaction can get started on the bigWebApps HelpDesk easily without a large burden on the budget.
StartUp Beat: When was the company founded, and how did the idea come about?
Patrick Clements: bigWebApps was founded in 2001. Jon Vickers, our CTO, and I originally started a network integration and support company implementing WANs, LANs and data centers to government organizations. We knew we always wanted to get more into the software side of the business and about that time ASPs were just starting to pop up. We decided to build our first application—a help desk solution—to help manage our current support contracts. bigWebApps HelpDesk became our first SaaS solution, and from there, we started to develop additional complimentary solutions to this application—e.g. asset management, fleet maintenance and warehouse fulfillment.
StartUp Beat: Can you describe the underlying technology behind your product, and how it works for users?
Patrick Clements: bigWebApps is a single source code SaaS solution developed using Microsoft tools. It is a .NET solution, which is managed on a customer framework designed by bigWebApps. The value that bigWebApps provides for users is that we allow them to go to our web site, self-qualify and immediately get set up on their own custom demo. We are able to easily decrease set up and implementation time. By understanding some of the best practices found in ITIL, bigWebApps can help users get instantly set up on a template to manage their customers' support process.
Each organization is different, and they can customize their support process based on their own business rules once they have access to the application. Once the application is set up and configured, support requests are able to be received through a web portal or via email. Depending on the work flow and the types of issues generated, the requests are assigned to service level agreements and to service providers to resolve these issues. End users are notified throughout the process and the supporting organization has complete visibility into their support service.
StartUp Beat: How many customers do you currently have?
Patrick Clements: We have 167 customers located in 42 states and 7 countries.
StartUp Beat: What is your revenue model?
Patrick Clements: Through direct channels, we offer a subscription service, which is based on an annual renewable license to our fully hosted and supported software suite. Licenses are sold on a per seat basis. We also offer professional services based on custom development for approved functionality.
Through our partner channel we sell bulk licenses to VARs (value added resellers) for private label offerings of our product.
StartUp Beat: Who do you see as your competition?
Patrick Clements: We say we have two main competitors that we “sell” against. First, we have traditional competitors who offer a similar software product. The main competitors in this space are Track-It, Parature and Heat for the SMB market, and then SchoolDude for the education market.
Just like any solutions, we have our differences. Our strengths are that we are native in the SaaS model and that we adhere to the ITIL framework.
The second type of competition is the home-grown system that is used internally. This includes a paper-based system, a quick-and-dirty software solution using an access database, Outlook in storing emails, etc. Often, the creator of these types of solutions can be very protective of their project and not open to spending money on a more proven or efficient solution.
StartUp Beat: Do you plan to expand beyond the SMB and education markets? If so, what markets are you looking at specifically?
Patrick Clements: We are present in numerous verticals, including Network Integration, IT Consultanting, K12 and Higher Education, Non-Profit, City Municipals, Healthcare, Engineering and Construction, Property Management, Software, and Hospitality Management.
We are concentrating our “beachhead approach” on becoming leaders in the Network Integration and Education markets. We will service these other verticals as leads are brought in and will determine at a later date if any of these new markets need to be further developed.
StartUp Beat: What kinds of support do you provide to your SaaS customers? Is this a support-intensive enterprise?
Patrick Clements: We do provide support as it’s included within the subscription agreement. Our support includes email, phone, and HelpDesk ticketing, of course. Our office and support hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
Support tends to be intensive on the front-end with new customers as they have questions on customization and setup. We are working more towards self-qualification and support through tools within the application and information presented from the web site. However, we will always provide some level of human phone support during operating hours.
StartUp Beat: I know that you are looking to raise a series A round of funding—has the company been bootstrapped to this point?
Patrick Clements: bigWebApps has grown organically to date using internal cash flows. In 2001, we took on a $97,000 friends and family round to help set up our first data and hosting center.
bigWebApps – www.bigwebapps.com
