Peer Groups
Autotask has selected Taylor Business Groups as our partner in the formation and delivery of Business Improvement Groups (BIGs) exclusively for Autotask Customers. Taylor is one of the nation’s leading VAR-centric business consulting firms and has a proven track-record in creating and facilitating IT Service Provider Peer Groups. These groups are comprised of business owners from roughly 10 non-competitive companies who effectively become an informal board of advisors or network of counterparts to each other. The purpose of the Autotask Business Improvement Groups is to:
- Share business best practices and experiences
- Act as each other’s executive committee or board of directors
- Evaluate each other against industry benchmarks
- Hold each other responsible for meeting profit expectations
Business Improvement Peer Groups vs. Product User Groups
At our 2009 Autotask Community Live customer conference there was a lot of talk about the value of business peer groups, and many of our customers were telling us that they are interested in joining one. This interest is validated in the early results of a poll we conducted across our user base with more than half of the respondents indicating a similar interest.
Peer Groups are not the same as User Groups. Product User Groups tend to be much larger, more regional, and focused almost exclusively around the software (Autotask User Groups already exist in countries around the world, with new ones being formed regularly.) Business Peer Groups are much broader in scope and focus on business strategy, business growth and profitability.
Because our customers use Autotask to RUN their businesses, there is an inextricable link between the effective use of our software and an effectively run business. This is why we believe it is so important for our customers to work with a business coach – and with each other – to continually improve their businesses.
Why Partner With Taylor Business Groups?
Autotask Corporation is a software company. That’s what we do best, and that’s what we’re going to stay focused on. To help create truly effective business peer groups we sought an experienced partner who could deliver this important service to our customers. After vetting all of the major players serving our market, we came away with the very clear and obvious conclusion that Taylor’s approach and structure is the best fit our customer base. Taylor focuses exclusively on IT service companies, and they specialize in bringing together peer groups with a common thread; in our case, all members will be using Autotask to run their businesses.
Taylor’s Peer Groups are run by professional facilitators, not by the members themselves. This is critical, and it distinguishes Taylor from competing organizations. The groups are kept small (no more than a dozen members) and meet for two (2) 1½-day meetings during the year and remain in contact with scheduled conference calls in between. In addition, we have created private forums for each Autotask Business Improvement Group within the Autotask Online Community to facilitate ongoing interaction among group members at any time.
Special topics are chosen by the group to focus on at each meeting. Typically, two members present their business to the other members of the group as though they are presenting to a Board of Directors. Annual company objectives are presented by each member to the rest of the group for accountability.
Autotask Business Improvement Groups are heavily metrics-driven, and Taylor has fantastic benchmarking tools that are provided to all members. There are 40 financial charts generated from a recast of each members’ financials into a standard format. Taylor will evaluate individual members as they compare to the other members in the Group and to overall industry benchmarks. Easy-to-read charts shows the results trends of each member over each period of data collected.
A Little Investment, A Lot of Focus
Participation in an Autotask Business Improvement Group is not free. Because each peer group is run by a professional facilitator, and significant intellectual property is associated with the benchmarking tools used, Taylor charges a modest fee per year to be a member of one of their groups.
Autotask Business Improvement Groups are not for everyone. You must be motivated to improve your business and willing to invest not only money, but your time to make it happen. But, for those who do, the returns can be huge.
For more information about Taylor’s Autotask Business Improvement Groups, please visit www.taylorbusinessgroup.com/autotask.
