CEO of EDGE Technologies Single-Handedly Replaced 7 Software Suppliers with No-Code
Spiderweb of third-party software
EDGE Technologies provides more than 700 ISP, telecom and System Integration companies with their range of optical transceiver and xWDM solutions. Their products are specifically designed to reduce costs associated with data transmission and active equipment costs in networking systems. Before Guntis stepped into his newfound role of Citizen Developer, Edge Technologies relied on more than 7 external suppliers for a network of systems to function as their CRM, order management and invoicing, ticketing, stock management, and internal project management.
It was time-consuming for users to be constantly switching between different applications to carry out their daily work, and even more time consuming when it came to managing and maintaining each of these systems separately (paperwork, liaising with the different suppliers and stakeholders). Plus, because most of the applications were standardized software packages, they couldn’t be customized to the specific business needs of EDGE.
It was time-consuming for users to be constantly switching between different applications to carry out their daily work, and even more time consuming when it came to managing and maintaining each of these systems separately (paperwork, liaising with the different suppliers and stakeholders). Plus, because most of the applications were standardized software packages, they couldn’t be customized to the specific business needs of EDGE.
“If you run your business on a self-developed application you are totally independent in your creativity for constant process improvement.”
One man on a mission
Guntis knew something needed to change. He was on the hunt for an affordable solution that he could use to build an all-around solution for EDGE, that would be future-proof and allow them to be less dependent on external suppliers. And it had to show results fast: Guntis had a 2-month deadline for the first MVP of a product portfolio management and CRM application.
Guntis reached out to Niels Schilder, a business consultant at Betty Blocks, outlining the scope of his project and his vision. As Guntis would be undertaking the project alone, an onboarding process was designed to teach him the skills he would need to see the project through.
After a 2-hour Betty Blocks training and initial consult with Pre-sales Architect Marcel Korporaal, Guntis got to work. “The best thing was just to start to put a solution together from the start, just build some data fields and see how it works. In the very beginning, I had no understanding, but then I had one call with Marcel, who showed me around and from that point it was easy,” he says. And sure enough, in 2 months he had a working MVP of the product portfolio management and CRM application.
Today, Guntis has expanded the initial application to the super OMS EDGE uses in nearly all aspects of their daily operations. That’s why he advocates that small to mid-size business owners should become Citizen Developers and take charge of their own organizations' needs.
Guntis reached out to Niels Schilder, a business consultant at Betty Blocks, outlining the scope of his project and his vision. As Guntis would be undertaking the project alone, an onboarding process was designed to teach him the skills he would need to see the project through.
After a 2-hour Betty Blocks training and initial consult with Pre-sales Architect Marcel Korporaal, Guntis got to work. “The best thing was just to start to put a solution together from the start, just build some data fields and see how it works. In the very beginning, I had no understanding, but then I had one call with Marcel, who showed me around and from that point it was easy,” he says. And sure enough, in 2 months he had a working MVP of the product portfolio management and CRM application.
Today, Guntis has expanded the initial application to the super OMS EDGE uses in nearly all aspects of their daily operations. That’s why he advocates that small to mid-size business owners should become Citizen Developers and take charge of their own organizations' needs.
