Graham Fell, Executive Vice President, US, EMEA, at FlexDev, tells us how the company future-proof businesses.
Tell us about FlexDev, your career, and why you work for FlexDev.
Graham Fell: FlexDev is a programming company granted many international awards and which creates new opportunities in ITO and BPO through building and managing NGDC+ centers (Next Generation Delivery Center). FlexDev cooperates with notable multinational corporations and advises known and valued world enterprises. FlexDev tailor makes centers of excellence for their clients, takes away all the pain of doing so, using the latest techniques and software development skills, and places a strong emphasis on building out a diverse and inclusive company workforce culture to accelerate digital transformation. I joined FlexDev to work with the best and brightest and to focus on changing company culture to analyze how it can influence business outcomes by creating open and inclusive environments where everybody’s voice is heard, no matter what diverse trait you may or may not have.
How does FlexDev market its product/services online?
Graham Fell: We are in a fortunate enough position to not really have to advertise too much online. Our clients come from referrals because of the strong reputation that we have built over the last 3 years.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to manage your online marketing?
Graham Fell: FlexDev closely manages performance to outperform the competition through effective ways of working, continuous improvement, and strong lean & agile skills. When you think of today’s new businesses, you think of the importance of brand image and culture. By championing diversity and inclusion, we build high-performing, creative, cross-functional teams that are experts and are at the top of their game, looking to accelerate the digital metamorphosis for our clients.
What is your hiring policy/process, and how do you retain your employees?
Graham Fell: There is no surprise to learn that turnover in companies is high as people choose higher salaries – to fight this, it is important that when you hold onsite days and physical catch-ups to combine them with some kind of team activity. Due to the recent pandemic and total remote working, employees feel less connected to the brand and the company; however, holding onsite events is important to get the connection back. Project initiation and regular team building should be in person. People are exhausted with online meetings but also have a taste for remote work, so when you meet up – you must make it worthwhile. This is the new normal, and when you have a physical catch-up, tie it in with something fun or compelling so they have a good employee experience.
How are you funding your growth?
Graham Fell: FlexDev is a privately funded business and is growing organically at scale.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Graham Fell: We do not really have director competitors that offer exactly what FlexDev offers, which is a total end-to-end solution to build a fully operational shared service center on behalf of our clients. There’s nothing slow about the global technology market. Those who want to succeed in such an arena must reflect the speed, adaptability, and dynamism of the industry itself. Not content with staying in one place, the market looks forever forwards. Onwards. To more. To better. While the technology landscape is often defined by its most colossal paragons, it is often its newest members that make the largest waves. This is very much the case with FlexDev.
Ultimately, FlexDev’s success is balanced across three distinct pillars: Client-centricity, diversity of thought, and proactivity. Based in Poland – which is currently seeing an immense boom in its software and technology offerings – has only served to act as an accelerator for the company, allowing us to expand with minimal obstacles. As impressive as our client base is, the secret to the company’s success lies in the efforts made at its inception. In our ethos, leadership, and understanding of the changing needs of the companies, we work with.
Tell us a customer success story of yours.
Graham Fell: FlexDev works alongside the UK’s largest fashion retailer, NEXT PLC. FlexDev quickly impressed with its capabilities to provide excellent levels of service. Indeed, the company was hand-picked due to its specialism in delivering bespoke, end-to-end nearshore centers for large enterprises – with many of its clients listed on the FTSE100g and NASDAQ FORTUNE 500. FlexDev built and managed a center of excellence for NEXT Retail branded Next Technology in Poznan, Poland.
Your final thoughts?
Graham Fell: It’s no secret that the e-commerce sector was one of the few that emerged last year, not only relatively unscathed but, dare we say it, stronger than it entered. However, it would be remiss to put FlexDev’s enviable growth down to simple luck and be in the right place at the right time. No. The company has a core ethos that serves to differentiate it from countless others who struggled over the last 12 months — and that core is a dedication to client-centricity. This is made more evident when framed against the reality of the company’s success. Going from zero employees to over 100 in a year and a half, the company has harnessed service scalability and personalization without sacrificing client service. That’s a feat that larger and older firms have struggled to balance, with growth often leading to a worse client experience. That’s certainly not the case with FlexDev.
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