In 2008 Annex received several awards of distinction for its success…PROFIT 100 fastest growing companies in Canada, Branham300 largest IT companies in Canada, CDN top 100 IT solution providers in Canada and Business In Vancouver’s fastest growing companies in BC. For all intents and purposes, Annex is growing!
So how do you take a growing company to the next level? Simple… do a business review across the organization, maintain what you are doing well, tweak any areas that require more focus, and put the pedal to the metal for growth!
And that is the focus that Tom Dutta, COO of Annex, has been leading since being hired in September 2008. Tom worked with the entire Annex team through a strategic planning and business review process and in January 2009, the Annex Summit project was launched to grow the business over the next three to five years. All areas of the business were reviewed using a Business Transformation model. In other words, we looked at how to improve every functional area of the company: operations, finance, sales and marketing, human resources, and IT.
We are in the process of implementing a number of key strategic initiatives including
- a world class CRM/Applicant Tracking System to help us maintain our 97% customer satisfaction rating and deliver consistent service as we grow,
- a new strategic account management model to improve our perception in the market as a value provider versus just a supplier,
- working with our team to develop best practices and documenting our processes so as we expand and grow, our business is scaleable and consistent across all regions,
- evaluating expansion into other geographic markets outside of British Columbia, and
- building on our existing team to continue excellence as we grow into the future.
While other companies are cutting back during the tough economic times, we are taking advantage of a period of uncertainty to invest in our business and strengthen our foundation for the years ahead.
All these strategic projects should be complete in 2009/2010 and a new growth strategy will be the focus for Annex’s team going forward. We look forward to providing more updates as we progress. Until then, we’re open for business and focused on strong growth ahead!