Dear Clients, Partners and Friends, I wanted to offer you a sincere statement about the state of Own Web Now Corp at this time. First, the great news: We have posted yet another record quarter with record high revenues, profits and user counts. We are the largest we have ever been, and all products are currently at all time highs. We are on track to release half a dozen new products in 2009, and the feedback over the past few months has been overwhelmingly positive as we’ve introduced massive improvements to financial reporting, service management and support. The good news is that, despite (or rather, in spite of) the poor economy, we are poised for record growth in 2009. We have worked very hard to introduce the kinds of products that users simply cannot live without and we will introduce new, more affordable solutions in 2009. All the good news aside, things are far from perfect at Own Web Now. If there is one area we have struggled in over the years, it’s been consistency. This unfortunate problem comes as a result of rapid growth and, at times, overworked staff, poor management and issues with process control. Computers are easier to manage than people, and in an environment where people, objectives, metrics and software change rapidly, the problems become very apparent. We have worked very hard to address this issue, develop additional processes and assure that the improvements we have made over the past few months are sustained and not empty gestures soon to be forgotten. Over the next few months I will be introducing you to the ITIL methodology we have implemented at Own Web Now. I will also be going in depth about our process, our reporting, our controls and our inputs. For starters, our documentation efforts are now managed by the very same people that provide support online, in person and over the phone. As you may imagine, we answer certain questions repeatedly. Staff is now allocated time to pick repetitive questions, provide them directly to me and vote on the most complete and comprehensive answer. I believe this will create a reliable training platform and more connected community around our services. Our communication platform for the most part has consisted of this blog. We have extended this in 2008 with the Network Operations site and in 2009 we have added Twitter as well as regular newsletter mailings. Encompassing it all is a new OWN podcast bringing you not just the news from us, but our industry as a whole. People discover, consume and respond to information in different ways. There is no unified way to alert everyone, so we are responding to the mediums that our clients and partners follow. Podcasts are not for everyone but an equal number of people absolutely despises whitepapers and network maintenance alerts. As a last resort, for the ultra-busy, your PAM is always there to answer any questions you may have. If you want to follow our every move, that’s possible too. For everyone in the middle we have a number of solutions as well. It’s a mix, much like our partner and client base. The past few months have been all about documenting and improving the company as a whole. As you know from working with us, we’ve done this in the past with our infrastructure. We have worked very hard to get to this point, and we’ve had to let some bad habits die and some grow up, both as a technology and as a company. I appreciate your continued business. I hope you see these improvements as positive. We not only believe in the future of our business model, but that the numbers are showing that it is the hottest thing available right now. As you trust us with your and your clients’ network operations, I want to assure you that we are committed to remaining the leader in this space and helping you grow through these hard times. Sincerely, |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
