While we watch the unemployment rate surge, I think we also need to spare a thought for those who are ‘fortunate’ to keep their jobs. In many cases not only are they being asked to accept reduced hours and pay but also to work harder, produce greater results, find cost savings and most importantly generate additional revenue.

But with reduced resources and budget constraints how do you meet these challenges?

Over the past few months we have been addressing this very question with our clients and it has made us think really hard about the ways in which we can help. Over a decade in the market has given us the confidence and experience to know that we can literally double writer productivity, half costs and improve sales efficiency where Author-it is used for sales proposal management. It’s very satisfying to know that these kind of improvements make a large difference in a recessionary market. But having said all of that; even with real ROI evidence, it can be challenging to get budget approval where executive mandates demand large scale cuts.

To meet this challenge head on, we’ve developed two ‘Stimulus’ packages, the Author-it Enterprise Pack and the Author-it Starter Pack. These packages bundle software licenses, support/upgrades and implementation services, including training. They are designed to get companies up and running quickly so that you can start delivering ROI almost immediately. By bundling, we’ve been able to deliver a substantial discount and we are also offering payment plans and subscription pricing options to assist in driving an Author-it initiative through budget approval.

We believe these packages deliver exceptional value and will support your strategies for productivity, cost cutting and sales efficiency. Take a look at the packages here, let us know what you think.

Best,
Steve

Posted by Steve Davis, President, Author-it Software Corporation

It has been an interesting start to 2009. It is clear that the financial crisis continues and the world awaits the outcome of President Obama’s stimulus package to see how this will affect the US and global markets. As many commentators have hypothesized; while access to credit is a real issue, it is the consumer coal face where change will start. Changes in consumer spending flow through the entire business ecosystem from B2C through to the B2B sector.

So in a market such as this, how do you drive forward?

I think the answer to this question lies in how businesses are affected and are subsequently seeking to deal with the crisis. The effects are first felt in a reduction in sales revenues. This is a natural market reaction to a crisis – ‘hunker down’ mentality. This leads to additional emphasis on sales execution and a review of costs.

At Author-it we have been heavily focused on these issues in our client and prospect discussions. That is; how can Author-it help our clients with sales execution and how can we cut their costs? Obviously there is an investment to be made in purchasing and implementing Author-it, so we have been ruthless in presenting our case for real dollar cost savings above other gains. Here’s some scenarios to illustrate this point:

Issue: Authoring teams (of all persuasions) are under significant pressure. Teams are being asked to do more with less people and still expected to complete projects on time.
Solution: Author-it allows 40% + gains in authoring efficiency through advanced reuse, single sourcing and multi-output publishing. More output from less.

Issue: Authoring teams are becoming a distributed mix of permanent employees and contractors. This makes collaboration, authoring, edit review and approval very difficult.
Solution: Author-it Live allows web based, ‘anywhere, anytime access’ to content for authoring, review and publishing. Huge time and efficiency gains.

Issue: Localization budgets are under pressure but there is still a requirement to sell in global markets and therefore deliver localized content.
Solution: Author-it Localization Manager can cut localization costs by more than 50%. This is a real cash saving.

Issue: Sales teams need to produce more revenue. This means more sales proposals and therefore more administrative load.
Solution: A number of clients (and us of course) use Author-it to generate custom sales proposals at a small fraction of the time and effort required using traditional methods. This means better quality, compliant proposals and an increased chance of sales success.

Issue: Authoring applications are siloed meaning it is difficult or impossible to leverage content assets across an enterprise.
Solution: Author-it is an enterprise authoring and content management application. Its ease of use and intuitive UI means it can be used by all business units allowing content to be shared and reused throughout an enterprise. Huge efficiency gains across the enterprise.

The above scenarios focus on addressing the core issues many companies are experiencing right now that is how to; cut costs and increase revenue. I believe it is by focussing on ROI and these key areas that both software purchasers and vendors can come together and mutually work through the worst effects of the current market.

Posted by Steve Davis, President, Author-it Software Corporation

I was saddened last month by the premature passing of John Drake due to a heart attack.  Only 49 years young, John was the tight-head Prop in the highly successful Rugby Union teams of Auckland and the All Blacks (New Zealand) through the mid-eighties.  Following the All Blacks success in the 1987 World Cup, John retired as a Rugby player and became a newspaper Rugby columnist and TV commentator.   I didn’t know John personally but I enjoyed his perspective on Rugby and the obvious ‘mana’ (respect) that he held.

To top this, a close friend recently had a near-miss with one of his children in a swimming pool accident.  It’s heart wrenching stuff and it brings some perspective to what is happening right now; global recession etc.  In tough times such as these, it is easy to get wrapped up in the situation and forget about what is really important. I am not for a second suggesting that we go live on a beach.  That’s not a life fulfilled. But neither do I consider it a compliment to be called a workaholic; someone who neglects themselves or their family in the name of work.

I have spent the past few years trying to ensure balance in my life.  I am by no means perfect at this but balance is my priority and I think that’s the point.  My position as President of Author-it Software Corporation, places large demands on my time and family.  Paul Trotter and I divide our time between our US and Auckland Offices which are 6,500 miles apart (12+ hours flight), spending about 2-3 weeks at each office.  Tough schedule?  Absolutely but high growth companies are not built at our convenience.

So how is it possible to find some semblance of balance? To me the first step is to ask yourself what’s really important in your life.  Most would answer; “family, health, happiness” etc. Obviously work pays the bills so it is important too.  The sad reflection I make is most sacrifice their health, personal goals and family in the name of work.  Or they use their family as an excuse for why they don’t exercise or achieve work and personal goals. Balance is a triumvirate of; family, work and personal areas.

The hardest thing to do is find the time. I believe the first step is to chose a small number of things that you need to do (read… work and exercise) and that you love to do.  Next make some more time.  My secret was learnt while studying for my MBA.  I had a very full-on job and simply couldn’t find enough time for work, family, study and working out. My answer was a) turn off the TV and b) get up at 5am! To be honest my family do not want to know me early in the morning. I studied until 6.30am, had breakfast with the family and then into the day.  This gave me a full 7.5 hours of study per week over what I had before.  Was it hard?  At first very, but in time I started to wake up without the alarm bang on 5! And, no, I am definitely not a morning person.

Now I don’t want this to sound like anything special but applying this principle to my own personal situation has allowed me to achieve some of my personal goals - a Black Belt in Aikido, be in great physical shape, improve my tennis game to name a few.  And the best part is I still get to spend some great time with my family and successfully perform my role at Author-it.

As this is a time for new year resolutions, why not resolve to find some balance.  Set goals for work, family plus to achieve something for yourself this year. Then the hard part; off with the TV, on with the alarm clock!

I’d love to hear whether you agree or have other ideas for balance… let me know.

Have an awesome 2009.

Cheers
Steve

Welcome to the Author-it Blog.

It’s been an interesting journey working with our team to conceive, create and now deliver the Author-it Blog.  I previously thought of Blogs as the ramblings of people who ‘didn’t have a life’. They filled this void through endless hours of musing on subjects of great interest to themselves but of little interest to anyone else. So I did a bit of research; I looked at some blogs both within and outside our industry and ended up at the ’source of all knowledge’… Wikipedia.

A few things stood out to me in the Wikipedia definition… commentary, online diary, network, and community. The ‘community’ aspect in particular tweaked my interest.

For many years the Author-it User Group has formed a fabulous part of what we are to the marketplace.  It provides an invaluable link between users. A place where they could share ideas, ask questions, provide tips to users and feedback to us.  It really is a community.

I see the Author-it Blog extending this community aspect by providing a medium for greater participation by our Author-it team.

The vision is a vehicle to open the doors of the company. To allow our clients, partners and prospects the chance to look inside Author-it, to meet us, ask questions and share ideas.

Commercial reality dictates that some of the amazing ideas and creativity that flows through Author-it sometimes have to be restrained, but I’d like the Author-it Blog to be a place where we can post our opinions, ask questions, solicit feedback and share our perspective with you.

While we are obviously biased, our perspective is born of more than a decade in the industry, tens of thousands of prospect meetings and over 3,500 client implementations all around the world.

I expect that we will challenge some of the general thinking out there.  Author-it has never been afraid to be different where we believe we are right.  We seek to solve business problems, not the symptoms.  To us the solution is always more important than specific technology fads or standards purported to be the only way to solve the problem.  In this, I hope we are able to stimulate debate and debunk some of the myths we believe exist in the market.

A blog is nothing if not read, thought about and responded to.  Your feedback is important to us and will help us improve this blog and its value to all.  Please comment on our posts, and if you feel the need, contact me personally with any additional thoughts.

Thanks and best regards,