Codestone Customer Day 2020 – Lord’s Cricket Ground, Wednesday 26th February 2020
The Intelligent Enterprise was the focus of this year’s Codestone Customer Day, with SAP Evangelist and Poole born and bred Timo Elliot giving us a snapshot of SAP’s vision for a digital future. Codestone CEO Jeremy Bucknell welcomed over 150 guests to an inspiring technology-focused programme designed to give SMBs a vision of how to become an intelligent enterprise, as well as a chance to walk in the steps of cricket legends.
The venue was Lord’s, the most famous cricket ground in the world and home to the Ashes Urn, where countless records have been broken. It made the perfect setting for us to deliver our recent achievements and future objectives.
SMBs gear up for The Intelligent Enterprise
The Codestone Customer Day is a once-a-year opportunity to hear from industry experts, network and attend the tailored technology sessions designed to guide our customers on their intelligent enterprise journey.
Jeremy Bucknell kicked off by highlighting Codestone’s successes over the last year from both a business and operational perspective. Our compelling proposition, delivery and a focus on customer service excellence allows Codestone to be perfectly placed to support SMBs on their digital transformation journey.
Our growth has been impressive. we’re outgrowing our Poole headquarters and plans are underway to expand the premises by 40% this year. Our track record of successfully managing a record 344 customer projects in 2019 is backed up by an impressive SLA average of 95%.
Besides adding 37 new customers in the last year, we’ve also strategically extended our portfolio including the world-leading SAP Concur for travel expense and invoice management, and the collaboration platform Microsoft Teams.
To bolster this growth and development, we’re attracting more bright new talent with the Codestone two-year graduate programme, which will complement our excellent technical and service delivery and support the growth of Microsoft 365 and Teams and its SAP suite of solutions.
Managing these growth plans requires constant awareness and assessment of the organisation and employees. We’re delighted to report that employee wellbeing is high up on our agenda, with a programme currently being rolled across its growing staff numbers, now reaching 130.
It’s important to balance growth with giving back to society and we’re proud of our considerable fundraising and corporate responsibility activities. Codestone continues to support Zambian-born Alick Nyendwa who has recently started a degree in accounting at university in Lusaka. More locally we support Julia’s House, a children’s hospice during our annual Codefest festival.
“The start of the golden age for SMBs”
Timo Elliot inspired us with his views on how to become an intelligent enterprise, using an electric and autonomous vehicles example to show how they share information with other cars to provide the visibility previously unseen and unavailable in data. They harness the data via sensors and IoT for self-learning techniques in order to improve the customer experience, whether that’s to steer, prevent accidents or to simulate objects around them.
He cleverly linked to the need for businesses to act in the same way, gathering best practice and steering our organisations with augmented intelligence in real-time. He described how SMBs have historically been apprehensive of technology platforms, but as they’ve developed to become more flexible and lightweight, it’s the “start of the golden age for SMBs” as they access the same power as larger corporates, but can be much more agile and are often closer to the customer.
Sporting hero shares his life journey
Special sporting guest, once the spearhead of England’s bowling, was Darren Gough, whose illustrious career saw him take 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches and the 23rd hat-trick in Test Cricket against Australia at Sydney in 1999 during the Ashes Tour.
In a funny Q&A with Codestone’s Dan Hobson, Darren took us through his cricket career highlights, “playing in the Ashes against Australia was the ultimate” he stated. He noted how players’ fees have dramatically changed in cricket since he was at the top of his game and emphasised the importance of data analytics, making it much easier to assess players’ performance through accurate statistical breakdowns when looking to invest in a new player. Now a commentator on Talk Sport, he continues his loves of the game and with it the insight and stats that data analytics provides.
More recently a several-times winner of Strictly Come Dancing, Darren let us into a secret that his Strictly globe has pride of place at his home, “everyone is more interested in my globe than my cricket trophies”.
“How to” workshops extend knowledge
With a large number of different sessions to attend, a few highlights included:
- SAP Business One has become even better with the launch of Version 10. New functionality includes the new Web Client, Office 365 integration as well as the enhanced user interface.
- SAP Business ByDesign: The analytics in SAP Business ByDesign have been extended with built-in KPI dashboards, and a new mobile app allows you to build your own apps and KPIs in real-time. OCR scanning will also shortly be available.
- SAP Concur: It’s clear to see how SAP Concur is making a big impact on people productivity, by cutting out manual processes of handling expenses and invoices on the go with an easy to use mobile app.
- SAP Analytics: We saw how SAP Analytics Cloud embeds artificial intelligence technologies to help us build and share our ‘data stories’.
- Collaboration and team working are at the heart of Microsoft’s philosophy. Simon Fenech took us through how working habits are changing in the modern workplace and the key features in 365 and Teams that make collaboration easy with the linking and connecting of people and apps.
- Codeless BPA: We discovered how to gain process and financial efficiencies with Codeless Business Process Automation, how to speed up issue resolution and make service experience effortless for customers with SAP Field Service Management, and how to start your journey to the cloud with SAP Business One as-a-Service.
- St Eval Customer Interview: We heard from Codestone customer St Eval Candle Company about their own transformation journey. For Harry Young-Jamieson, Managing Director of St Eval Candle Company, the key factor was how to drive sustainable growth and improve web-based B2C and B2B customer experience in the face of seasonal spikes. SAP Business One has given them data discipline throughout their business processes, providing streamlined visibility and integration across their online shopping platforms, from order to delivery.
Walking in the steps of legends
The day wouldn’t have been complete without the chance to walk in the steps of cricket legends, visiting the famous Long Room and legendary Players’ Dressing Room and a first-hand view of the iconic Ashes Urn. We also got the chance to have some fun playing a few overs with ex-England cricketer Chris Lewis.
Sharing the future of the Intelligent Enterprise for SMBs
We believe we met our objectives for the day to inspire and advise on what is possible in helping SMB businesses become an Intelligent Enterprise. From the digital core of SAP Business One and SAP Buiness ByDesign, the extensions are now limitless for SMBs. From analytics, IoT, integration to cloud technologies, we’re set to serve customers as they embrace digital transformation.