Aplicor
Company: Aplicor Inc., Boca Raton, Florida
Company Description: Aplicor provides an easy-to-use and subscription-based sales, marketing and customer service (collectively Customer Relationship Management or CRM) web-based software solution which improves marketing efforts, increases sales conversion rates, enhances customer service levels, improves customer retention and maximizes both customer share and lifetime value.
Nomination Category: Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Product Development Organization
Nomination Title: Software Resilience Program
1. Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Aplicor is a software publisher of hosted and subscription-based sales, marketing and customer support, or collectively Customer Relationship Management (CRM), software solutions.
Aplicor created the Software Resilience Program (SRP) in January 2005 with one key objective and two targeted benefits. The key objective was to manufacture browser-based enterprise level business applications with one-third or less the defect rate of the industry average. The two forecasted benefits to be derived from the objective were a decrease of customer support volume by 20 percent and a decrease in customer churn by 15 percent.
Challenges in delivering a browser-based, mission critical business application include the continuous evolvement of new and immature development tools, evolving technology standards, the fluid business requirements of client organizations, the security ramifications involved with online Internet utilization and higher than normal support costs.
The SRP began with executive sponsorship from the top of the company, company-wide offsite brainstorming sessions, a dedicated project team and an agreement to share internal development and support data among two other comparable software development companies.
The company’s President, Mark Wakelin, was assigned the full-time responsibility to implement and manage the program. The SRP utilized Aplicor’s existing six sigma methodology and consisted of a three tenant closed-loop operating model. The first tenant was to accurately identify and measure all software defects individually and in a quantitative fashion that could be used for relative comparison and trend analysis. The second tenant was to diagnose the defect down to the root cause. The third tenant was to resolve the defect with an integrated combination of documented process, staff training, periodic review for resurgence and post-period measurement.
A five month implementation was completed in June 2005. Program deliverables included a new Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), new development training programs, a revised incentive compensation plan, an employee knowledgebase and a revised Quality Assurance program. The SRP went live July 1, 2005.
A January review of the six month period ended December 31, 2005 quantified initial results. Findings included a decrease in the product defect rate of 2.5% to 1.6% (per 100,000 lines of software code). The new defect rate of 1.6% further stands as a positive benchmark compared to the industry average of 2.95%.
While the new development program did increase elapsed development time by approximately 8%, the company realized a decrease in the QA life cycles from 11 days to 7 days and a decrease in beta period from 70 days to 58 days, providing a net gain in the Time-To-Market life cycle of approximately 5%. Help desk incidents declined by 31%, customer satisfaction has risen from 4.2 to 4.6 (maximum score of 5) and customer churn has decreased by 33% from 6% to 4%.
The Software Resilience Program is a living program and has been provided dedicated time and commitment on a go-forward basis. The company recently provided its program materials and six month analysis review to two other software publishers with the goal of forming an alliance to further advance the program among participating members.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Aplicor Named CIS Magazine “2005 Product of the Year”
http://www.aplicor.com/4%20Company/pressrelease_2005P
roductoftheYear.htm
Aplicor Earns 2005 "CRM Excellence Award"
http://www.aplicor.com/4%20Company/pressrelease_2005T
MCCRMexcellence.htm
Aplicor Named 2006 "Technology Business of the Year Finalist"
http://www.aplicor.com/4%20Company/pressrelease_2006
TechnologyBusinessoftheYear.htm
Aplicor’s Six Sigma Methodical Approach to Quality Software and Services
http://www.aplicor.com/4%20Company/client_assurances.htm
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:
Chuck Schaeffer, CEO of Aplicor, leads in gathering the collective voice of the customer, crafts and articulates vision, sets the company’s strategic direction and maintains accountability for employee and customer success. Prior to Aplicor, Chuck held the CEO role in four software technology organizations which succeeded in achieving customer value, employee accomplishment, market niche leadership, and shareholder value.
Chuck's credentials include Bachelor of Science (BS), MBA, CPA, Certified Project Manager (CPM), Certified CRM Specialist (CCRMS), Certified Sales Process Engineer (CSPE) and other technical certifications. Chuck is a foster parent, volunteer with several non-profit organizations and active in community service programs.