Business Impact Article - Posted 9/26/2008
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Web Startup Brings Innovative Product to Market Quickly Using Robust Development Tools and Tailored Support
Desktop-to-delivery postal service ViaPost speeded up its development processes and locked down its business strategy by taking advantage of Microsoft technology and consultation
Starting a new Web business is tough. And making it a success is even tougher. To carve out a space in the industry, fledgling companies need to combine fresh ideas, considerable investments of time and money, and a healthy dose of luck. But they also need cutting-edge technology and intelligent support. However good your ideas are, it is often strategic guidance from an established business that makes the difference between success and failure.
The founders of startup ViaPost—a Web-based business that lets customers send physical post from their computers—had a unique business proposition and a clear vision of how they wanted to develop the company. What they needed was a partner to support them through the difficult early phases of business growth. Simon Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, ViaPost, says: “We wanted to work with a global company that could give us the technology and the advice we needed to get up and running quickly.”
This support was vital because ViaPost was entering a competitive market with a disruptive product. The company’s service offering challenges traditional methods of posting documents in the United Kingdom (U.K.), because customers can send physical documents at the click of a mouse. They simply press “print” in their word processor or another application, and a unique print driver from ViaPost routes the request to one of the company’s high-quality print centres around the country, where the document is printed, sealed in an envelope, and delivered locally.
What makes the service so attractive is that the entire desktop-to-delivery process costs less than the price of a second-class stamp, even for low-volume customers. Combine that with the saving in employee hours and a heavily reduced environmental impact, and you have a winning service.
Like many companies, ViaPost was wary of using open-source software to develop its printer driver and supporting systems. “Many startups use open-source applications initially to reduce costs, but I know from experience that this often causes problems further down the line.
The last thing we wanted was to run into issues with compatibility, or find ourselves stranded without the right skill sets if developers left the business,” says Campbell.
Partner Program Shows the Way Forward
In October 2007, the company joined the Microsoft® Startup Accelerator Program. The initiative gives promising startups the chance to work with Microsoft and benefit from tailored advice in crucial business areas such as marketing and distribution. Campbell says: “From day one, a team of experts at Microsoft helped us to develop our product and strategy. Together, we built a roadmap to take the business forward.”
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From day one, a team of experts at Microsoft helped us to develop our product and strategy. Together, we built a roadmap to take the business forward. |
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Simon Campbell
Chief Executive Officer
ViaPost |
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As a member of the program, ViaPost also has free access to a comprehensive suite of Microsoft applications. Campbell says: “Working with Microsoft was incredibly valuable for ViaPost during the early stages. Using Microsoft development tools meant that we had a stable, reliable foundation on which to build, and a product that was compatible with the vast majority of our customers’ computers from the start.”
The company’s software team used the Microsoft Visual Studio® 2008 Professional Edition development system, Microsoft Visual C++® version 6.0, and the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 to create the core printer driver. Campbell says: “Our developers are used to working with the .NET Framework, so the process was quick and efficient. Because these Microsoft technologies are so widespread, you don’t encounter the same issues with support and compatibility that you get with open-source development.”
The company’s customer-facing technologies are supported by Microsoft SQL Server® 2005 Developer Edition data management software. The application makes it simple for IT administrators at ViaPost to manage a growing repository of customer information and digital traffic.
Campbell says: “One of the great things about working with Microsoft is that it gives a startup such as ViaPost a real boost in credibility. We entered an extremely competitive market with a disruptive product, and it is tough to convince businesses of any size to adopt new technologies. With Microsoft on board, both small and large companies were much more receptive to our product.”
From Concept to Live Product
With help from the team at Microsoft, ViaPost gave its product a soft launch in July 2008. “We had already built up a significant customer base before the launch, and the process went very smoothly,” says Campbell. This initial release will be followed by a full high-volume launch in October 2008, which included an application programming interface. This allows third-party developers to integrate other products with the ViaPost offering.
The ViaPost service is now gaining momentum, with several enterprise customers already using it. “The first companies to use the service are those that send a lot of mail regularly. For these customers, using ViaPost saves large amounts of time and money. And, in most cases, the carbon footprint of sending each letter is reduced by more than 80 per cent. We’re getting a lot of interest from companies that want to be greener.”
With its customer base growing rapidly in the U.K., the company has plans to expand both its offering and its global aspirations. “On the technology side, we’re looking at ways of using other Microsoft products to diversify our service, and integrate it even more closely with our customers’ internal systems. Because Microsoft is a truly global company, the partnership has helped us make connections with potential customers around the world, and the demand for our product in other regions is growing quickly.”
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is the world’s most popular development environment for designing, developing, and testing next-generation Windows®-based solutions and Web applications and services. By improving the development experience for Windows, the Web, mobile devices, and Microsoft Office, Visual Studio 2008 helps organisations deliver a variety of solutions more productively than ever before. Visual Studio Team System expands the product line with new software tools that enable greater communication and collaboration throughout the development life cycle. With Visual Studio 2005, businesses can deliver modern service-oriented solutions more efficiently.
For more information about Visual Studio 2008, please visit:
www.msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
