Lakeview Post-MBO Strategy Focuses on Proactive Customer Service Delivery

Posted by on December 3rd, 2007 at 07:17pm

ERP specialist, Lakeview Computers Ltd (Accounting Software From Lakeview) is to develop a more proactive customer development strategy, following the management buyout in 2006 under new managing director, Graham Marcroft.

The company has already undertaken an intensive customer-focused programme, including detailed market research, user groups and a post-MBO customer briefing day. Six-monthly customer satisfaction surveys are also designed to provide regular feedback, ensuring that Lakeview stays fully up-to-date in meeting evolving end-user needs in a rapidly-changing commercial environment.

“In acquiring Lakeview, we recognised the tremendous market potential of an ERP business successfully established over two decades in key target markets including manufacturing and wholesale,” confirms Marcroft.

“There is a real opportunity to expand our product offering, both within our existing SME customer base and larger businesses,” he says. “To achieve this, we recognise that companies buying technology from providers like Lakeview demand the broader business benefits provided by comprehensive and proactive support.”

New team
To take full advantage of this identified opportunity, Graham and his fellow MBO team of Chris Hems, product marketing director and Mat Noonan, technical director have expanded the senior management team, with the appointment of new chairman, Bob Critchlow, finance director, Roger Lovegrove and marketing director, Michelle Gunter.

“The new team has an impressive pedigree in business development in the IT industry,” confirms Marcroft. “At the same time, we are also strengthening our sales capability with the appointment of account development managers with strong vertical market experience. And, though the focus with both our installed base and prospects will be firmly on business benefits and helping SME’s to unlock productivity within their organisations, we will continue to spend much higher than the industry average on R&D to develop future releases of our technology.”

For details of accounting software functionality provided by Lakeview, please visit Accounting Software. For details of manufacturing software functionality, please visit Manufacturing Software.

New services
Lakeview has put in place a wide-ranging customer support programme, to be phased in over the next 18 months, which is designed to provide industry-leading levels of support to its SME customer base.

Initially, this will include an internal charter committing the company to providing proactive support, solutions tailored to the sector-specific need of individual companies and buyers and a business optimisation package designed to help end-users consider the potential broader benefits to the business when making an ERP investment.

Lakeview already commits to service level agreements (SLAs): longer-term development plans also include corporate dashboards as part of a Business Intelligence-based front end…

“Many companies talk about the importance of the customer, but few back this up with effective and proactive service delivery,” believes Marcroft. “With our competitive solutions set, strong management team and comprehensive customer service programme currently underway, we are ideally placed to realise the opportunities the market offers by identifying and delivering what the market needs — before customers request them.”

Lakeview (Accounting Software From Lakeview) is a leading provider of powerful, flexible software and systems for most areas of business management, accounting and manufacturing control. Its tailored systems are designed to unlock the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses, by delivering proven technology together with best-of-class technical support and training, all underpinned by a market-leading service guarantee. Headquartered in Bexleyheath, Lakeview operates a direct sales model and although key target markets include manufacturing and wholesale distribution they have specific expertise in the food and drink, electrical and industrial manufacturing sectors.

For more information on Lakeview Accounting Software and Business Systems visit: http://www.lakeview.co.uk

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