How to leverage SaaS solutions for retail efficiency?

Oleg

Welcome to our Devico Breakfast Bar. Thanks for joining me. Please introduce yourself and tell us about your professional background.

Olivier

Well, thank you very much for spending this time with me. So I'm Olivier Mayot. I'm a French guy. I'm the SimpliFied's CTO. I've been in this position for the last three years now. I've been doing that job for the last 25 years. So I'm a professional engineering software. And I'm very happy to be here today.

Oleg

Great. Tell us about the project you're currently working on and the problems it solves.

Olivier

So, SimpliField is a SaaS vendor, so we develop, sell a web and mobile application for retailers. It helps the employees that are on the field, in the shops, to be more efficient in their day-to-day jobs. The main goal of SimpliField application is to facilitate the exchange of information between the headquarters and the stores.

Oleg

Okay, great. How do you ensure that your technical team is aligned with the business goals of the company?

Olivier

Well, we have a very strong product team, and this product team is positioned between what we call the customer world – customer world is like pre-sales people, salespeople, CSM – and the IT world. So, we have those two teams, and it helps a lot to have between them this product team.

Oleg

Awesome. And how do you decide when to adopt a new technology versus sticking with existing solutions?

Olivier

Well, that's a very difficult question. Most of the time it depends on the ROI and also the possibility to find or not the right skills, the right people with the right skills, on the market. And I would say that it's a very important concern for me.

Oleg

Thanks. How do you keep yourself up to date with the latest technology?

Olivier

Well, with my team of engineers, we try to always be up to date with the latest technology. So, it means that they help me a lot, brainstorming with me, having some workshops together, and doing some POCs on technologies, and trying to benchmark the new technology we can find in the market. But also on my own, I'm reading a lot of articles, watching video when I have some time. And of course, if I have some spare time, I experiment by myself a couple of technologies, but unfortunately not enough. I would like to have more time to do more experimentation with new technologies.

Oleg

Yeah. It's a pretty common problem. What do you perceive as the biggest challenge or obstacle that you currently face as a CTO in SimpliField?

Olivier

I think that the first challenge is to find the right engineers that have the right skills and the right mindsets in order to be able to create some teams that will be able to deliver the projects. So, that's the main challenge we have to face. And the second one is to use the right technology at the right place, at the right time. We need to be able to be sure that the technology we've chosen is the right one and that in the long term, we will still be able to meet and face the challenges.

Oleg

Okay. Great. What role do you think IT outsourcing plays in solving these challenges?

Olivier

If you have a good partner, usually those people are better than you to find the good resources in the right timing because that profession is their job. So, the main challenge is to find the reliable partners. This is not very easy because there are many, many partners on the markets, and you need to have partners that you might have a stable relationship and be able to maintain the quality of the services during the complete relationship. And that's the main challenge.

Oleg

What are the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing?

Olivier

Usually, it's much quicker to find the right profiles. It's also much more flexible, especially in France, as it's possible to stop contracts easily if you have a temporary slowdown in your business. So, I think those are two main benefits. Unfortunately, there's one drawback is that this flexibility has a price to pay.

Oleg

Thanks. What were the factors that prompted you to consider IT sourcing?

Olivier

I think it's about flexibility and timing. In my career, I've always tried to mix contractors and employees in different teams. The percentage will really depend on the economic context and the type of projects we have to deliver. So, it can go up to, let's say, 50, 60, 70 percent contractors. And in other cases, it might be like 20%. But I always have in my teams some contractors.

Oleg

Okay. Thanks. How do you measure the success of collaboration with an IT outsourcing vendor?

Olivier

Well, the main indicator is about quality and the skills of the engineers that a partner provide. For me, it's much more important than the price. I mean, engineers that are delivering that job is always too expensive. I think it's all about quality, yes.

Oleg

Okay, great. And finally, what advice would you give to other companies considering IT outsourcing?

Olivier

I think they have first to find the right partner and the reliable partner and they should try. But again, for me, the most important thing is the skills of the people that will work on their projects. It’s the most important thing.

Oleg

Thanks! Thanks, Oliver! Thanks for having time with me and have a great evening!

Olivier

Thank you very much! Thank you for your time!