Star of stage and screen
Having decided that a life in show business wasn't for him, Declan Branagan hit on a new way to wow audiences - client management software
"This year is about consolidation. I've lived with this, I've invested in it, it's my passion and my dream - I love it"
For Declan Branagan, it literally is a long way from Clare to here. In a former life he was a working musician, but he had a moment of truth on stage and decided a change of career was in order. "I was doing a ballroom gig in Ennis and thought: "This isn't for me"", he recalls. Instead he went into business for himself, initially selling office supplies and later branching out into technology. That path led him directly to his current venture, eXpd8, of which he is founder and CEO.
It isn't false modesty that leads Branagan to describe the software variously as a "desktop for dummies", a "Fisher Price product" and "idiot-proof". In fact, it's part of the sales pitch - he believes many professional people such as solicitors, accountants and estate agents are intimidated by technology, but at the same time smart enough to realise their business needs it.
The eXpd8 product was developed out of a need to help companies run more efficiently by storing all documents electronically instead of in paper files that can be lost, misplaced or simply difficult to retrieve. "Professional people are not just accountants or solicitors, they are commodity traders of information - information that is sinking in paper. Therein lies the problem," Branagan explains.
Paper files get in the way of good customer service, he contends, which is why he refers to eXpd8 as client management software. "When a client calls, the first thing you've got to do is find his or her file. So many people can't find the information," he says. "Professionals rely on their secretaries and personal assistants, but can't find documents if they're not there. That's the same all over the world."
The software records every activity relating to a particular client and stores it in a central location, so that all staff in the company can access it. Then, any time that a client calls, anyone in the office can quickly retrieve the most up-to-date information relating to him or her. Obviously, this is instantly preferable to the more usual scenario whereby the relevant person is not available and no one else can help with the client's query. "With this solution, instead of being on the back foot, you will be more client focused," says Branagan.
The eXpd8 software uses a graphical screen that displays a small number of buttons; these allow people to access the tools they need to do their jobs. "The biggest value proposition I have when approaching any company is the look and feel of the opening screen of eXpd8," says Branagan. "It is the dashboard - you don't need to know what size the engine is or the horsepower - you just drive it."
There are other reasons why the product is such a necessity. "If what I do makes me money and I'm not recording that, then I have a problem," Branagan says. In addition, an increasing number of industries are subject to more rigourous regulations. Being able to comply with these rules is a must and technology can help, he adds. The software also saves on unnecessary duplication of forms. Instead, any paper documents can be scanned and immediately saved in the system.
Since the company began selling eXpd8 from its head office in Dublin, staff numbers in Ireland alone have risen from six people to 23. Last year, eXpd8 recorded €3.2m in sales and Branagan is optimistic about the future. He hopes to reach €4m in revenue by the end of 2008 and to double that to €8m by 2010. Not bad for a product that was originally developed over six months in 1998 as a way to help a friend in the legal field manage his workfow better. "This year is about consolidation," Branagan says. "I've lived with this, I've invested in it, it's my passion and my dream - I love it."
According to Branagan, eXpd8 currently has a 30pc share of the legal market in Ireland and has began branching out into other sectors such as estate agents. "They have the same problem as lawyers, except they don't call their work a case, they call it a property," he says. Other potential customers include architects, pension providers and surveyors. This move into other industry sectors and geographical markets will be key to the company's future growth. Branagan estimates around three quarters of Irish law firms already have some form of practice management software. "That's one of the reasons I started looking at external markets," he explains.
In addition to it's Irish base, eXpd8 has opened two offices each in Australia and South Africa. This year the company plans to begin trading in the US, Canada and Portugal. Branagan may have left show business far behind him but it looks like he will be touring for some time to come.
Published Irish Independant 2008