Spreading the word about Irish companies
Mark Ryan says that one of the areas in which the Accenture link can really help small companies is in the often lengthy procurement bid process. “It’s difficult for SMEs to stay the course on their own. If they are with us it reduces the cost and helps them get there faster,” he says.
Dublin-based technology company BriteBill has recently begun working with Accenture. The company was set up in 2010 to develop interactive billing communications software and it has since moved into the area of digital post – a sector of considerable of interest to Accenture.
“Postal operators are finding that one of the best ways to respond to the ongoing move from physical mail is to create complimentary digital services that combine the best aspects of both media,” says Jim Hannon, co-founder and CTO.
“Accenture was in the process of selecting a technology partner in this field and while we came late to the assessment procedure, we managed to displace the front runner. Because Accenture is presenting us, we come to a prospective customer as an equal.
“We don’t have issues around references or funding that we would have as a small company trying to do this on our own. The contact with Accenture has been going on for about 12 months and there has been a lot of engagement.
“Our aim is to gain a foothold in really big markets and we will be able to do it faster and more effectively through our connection with Accenture.”
Relationship intelligence company Datahug is just beginning its relationship with Accenture, but it has already been productive, according to CEO and founder Connor Murphy.
“We worked on an article with Accenture for Accountancy Age magazine and this publication has a worldwide circulation so it got our name right out there. It would have taken us months to try and do something like this on our own,” says Murphy, whose company uses an analytics engine to systematically monitor and analyse contacts within businesses to help drive sales more effectively.
Business development
“Accenture does a lot in the area of analytics and CRM, and this is right into our space,” Murphy adds.
“Enterprise Ireland is a client of ours and they helped bring us together with Accenture. We have a web-based product and our market is international and we feel the relationship with Accenture presents us with a great business development opportunity.”
Mark Ryan is keen to encourage other large companies to follow Accenture’s lead by opening doors for other small Irish companies.
“It’s a two-way street, both sides benefit,” he says. “No, we haven’t gone into detail about what it costs Accenture to be involved with this programme as it’s about more than just ‘normal’ business.”
