Established in 1986, Baseplan Software develops a range of business management solutions for a swathe of rental and service market leaders both in Australia and overseas. This includes CRM suites, fleet and rental management software and also business intelligence.
According to CEO Andrew Ferry, one reason the company has managed to stay well ahead of the technological curve is due to its investment into new products and research and development.
“Over the past year we have spent $3.7 million on research & development [R&D] into new products – that’s about $300,000 every month,” said Mr Ferry.
As to where this amount is used, according to Mr Ferry, “40 per cent of that spend is for mobility issues, another 40 per cent is for functionality and the remaining 20 per cent is for things like gateways and associated services.”
“We need to spend this much because as a company, we are very proactive – we look at what the client will need for the future and not only what they may need now.”
One key issue, that Mr Ferry stresses drives much of the company’s software improvements, revolves around the issue of mobility.
“These days, mobile devices provide faster and increased coverage and our solutions have to be able to exploit those changing capabilities.”
“When we talk about improving the functionality of our products that is what we call ‘completing the circle’- and involves things like planning modules and calendars.”
“Visualisation has come of age – we are seeing a maturing of IT platforms and with this maturing, we need to stay ahead of the game – which is why we spend so much on R&D,” said Mr Ferry.
One of the biggest improvements for users of Baseplan Software has been the implementation of object-based planning modules, which enhances the predictability of any project management solution.
“For our clients, this has seen a more systematic approach to planning since this is an intuitive system. This results in a lower cost of ownership.”
“Our products are unique; they are best-of-breed and specifically tailored to what our clients need,” said Mr Ferry.
“We’ve recently expanded into the US rental software space and our $3.7 million annual spend on new product development ensures we stay ahead of the game.”
“Currently we sit as number #1 in the world for rental software and number #2 globally for service software solutions.”
“If you don’t spend on improving your product offering, you become a sitting duck- something that we will never become.”
For further information visit: http://www.baseplan.com.au/au/