Company: QuickArrow – has been acquired by OpenAir, a NetSuite company
Started: 1999
Located: Austin, Texas
Geography: Global
Market: Professional Services Automation
Products: Project Management; Resource Management; Time, Expense and Billing Management; Strategic Business Analytics
Key Customers: Salesforce.com, Genesys, Borland, HP and Symantec
Website: OpenAir
Twitter: QuickArrow Twitter
Recent News:
QuickArrow Unveils Next-Gen Integration with Microsoft Outlook®
QuickArrow and RTM Consulting to Host Webinar on Maximizing Services Business in a Down Economy
I asked Kevin Bury, QuickArrow’s Chief Executive Officer a few questions about his business and his view on the SaaS market in 2009.
Did you start out as a Software-as-a-Service company?
Depends on the buzzword… We started out in 1999 as an “ASP”. Then we were “On-Demand” for a few years, and now we’re “SaaS”. But yes – we’ve always offered a hosted solution, and since we got in ahead of the curve, we were able to avoid the challenge of transitioning delivery models that so many traditional software vendors are contending with these days.
Why do your customers buy from QuickArrow?
The short answer is: To reclaim their personal lives.
The vast majority of services businesses are still running on spreadsheets, and the time spent compiling manual reports is mind-boggling. Anyone who has ever worked in services knows that most of the time, nights and weekends are spent playing catch up. QuickArrow automates the process, and provides much better business visibility than any spreadsheet ever could.
What do you see as the key trend emerging in the SaaS industry?
There are several interesting trends taking place, like Platform-as-a-Service, and Integrations-as-a-Service, but ultimately, I think the biggest trend we’re seeing right now is that SaaS adoption is reaching the tipping point, or about 15%. That’s the point at which you typically see the hockey stick effect kick in. And lately, it’s easy to understand why the “pay as you go” message is resonating so well.
What is your outlook for 2009?
One of the critical drivers for SaaS success is retention. You have to protect the annuity while driving new sales to ensure predictable, steady revenue growth. So this year, we’re really focusing on ensuring that any initiatives that hit the roadmap are good not only for new sales enablement, but also for our existing client base. And thanks to our SaaS model – if we can do that, we should see continued growth in 2009.
Thank you to Kevin Bury and Thomas Meredith for contributing to this profile.
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