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Middlesbrough firm snaps up sales in South Africa

A Middlesbrough company is celebrating a five-fold increase in revenue from South Africa thanks to support it received from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to expand its operations there.

i-snapshot, which employs 11 people at its Middlesbrough base, is an online sales management system that allows a company to quickly and easily assess its sales performance. Field sales staff send information about their sales activity to i-snapshot by mobile or smart phone, using text messaging or app. i-snapshot then collates and analyses this data and provides companies with realtime information about their sales performance, helping reduce the amount of time spent on generating reports and enabling them to better understand their sales models.

The company deals with over 20,000 sales visits a day from field sales staff and has customers in the UK and overseas markets such as Europe, the Middle East, India and South Africa.

Keen to further develop its presence in South Africa, i-snapshot turned to UKTI. As well as providing valuable intelligence on the market potential through the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS), UKTI also worked with the company to find a distributor, providing ongoing support to ensure the new arrangement got up and running without any problem. The company also took part in a trade event hosted by the UK embassy in South Africa, which enabled it to meet with potential customers. Much of the support was provided by Simon Crosby, one of UKTI’s International Trade Advisers in the North East, who worked closely with i-snapshot to develop the company’s export strategy.

Alan Timothy, i-snapshot’s Chief Scientist, said:

“Getting a distributor on board in South Africa has been absolutely pivotal for us, and we’ve increased our revenue from that market five times over since appointing them.

“It has been hard work but UKTI has helped us all the way, and it was clear right from the outset that their whole approach was about making opportunities work for us, providing the right support and asking the right questions . In particular, the excellent relationship we have with Simon, our ITA, has been so important. He has spent a lot of time working with us and the advice that we got from him has made a real difference and helped us grow the company substantially.”

i-snapshot now has its sights set on Indonesia, where it hopes to work with some of the country’s banks. With over 17,000 islands, the geography of Indonesia is complex and as a result, there is currently little fixed technology infrastructure. However, Indonesia’s mobile market is very well established, with 150 million users.

Simon Crosby said:

“Exporting can be hard work, even for experienced exporters, but i-snapshot has shown that if you take time to research your market and are prepared to put in the effort – including travelling to your target markets – the rewards can be significant.

“There are a number of high growth markets around the world, so even for small companies trading internationally can offer enormous opportunities for growth. Increased exports will be a key factor in the UK’s economic recovery and I urge local businesses to consider trading overseas as an integral part of their future plans.

“Whether a company already has some overseas customers or is only just considering exporting, there will be a way that we at UKTI can assist them and I hope the success of i-snapshot will inspire other firms across the North East to contact us to find out how we can help them grow globally.”

For more information about the wide range of support services available through UK Trade & Investment to help your company succeed overseas call the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or email enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/UKTINorthEast

Notes to Editors

1. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.ukor telephone +44 (0)20 7215 8000. For latest press releases, visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media. You can also keep in touch with developments at UKTI through www.blog.ukti.gov.uk, www.twitter.com/uktiand www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ukti.

2. Companies in the North East can find out more about the services available through UK Trade & Investment by contacting the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or email: enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk

3. The Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) offers a flexible service that can be tailored to offer a range of support from researching the market and highlighting potential business contacts to guidance on technical standards, labelling and packaging requirements. It offers ten levels of service, built around the typical requirements of a business making its first steps into a new market, all providing a flexible blend of preparatory advice and research as well as support when a company visits the market. Prices vary depending on the level of service required. The overseas experts will propose a programme of support and advice that meets a company’s individual needs. This could include an analysis of possible market entry strategies, identification of possible business partners and preliminary discussions with them on the company’s behalf. Staff can also identify potential customers and contacts to meet during a visit to the target market. Research would highlight local conditions and may include advice on competitors, local regulations and standards relating to the company’s products or services. Staff can also assist with introductions to translators or interpreters, offer advice and assistance with publicity in the target market, help organise events and set up key appointments or find relevant tender opportunities.

4. European Regional Development Fund 2007-13 International trade support services in the North East are financed in part by the European Union’s ERDF Competitiveness programme 2007-13, securing £5,999,216 of ERDF investment through the Department for Communities and Local Government. The ERDF Competitiveness programme 2007-13 is investing over £250m in North East England to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region . The ERDF Competitiveness programme 2007-13 for North East England is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government on behalf of the European Commission and regional partners. ERDF 2007-13 for North East England is focusing on:

Innovation – promoting science technology and innovation in businesses and institutions across the region.

Enterprise and business support – encouraging more people to start up in business, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, and helping established businesses develop, grow and innovate.

More than £300m ERDF investment is available for the region from 2007-13.  ERDF investment is limited to 50% of total eligible cost and must be matched by other public and private sources.  For every pound of ERDF investment, regional partners lever in another pound for the key priorities of innovation, enterprise and business support.

The programme is underpinned by the three important cross cutting themes of environmental sustainability, equality of opportunity and sustainable communities.