K: Matt, thanks for sitting down to chat today. To kick things off, it would be great if you could give us an overview of how you started using Apteco, and how long you’ve been an Apteco practitioner?
M: I’ve been using Apteco for over 11 years now, which has gone really quickly! I guess I got into using the software a bit unconventionally, some may say. In a previous role, I was working on an email service provider (ESP), and that ESP was integrated with Apteco via Cascade (a campaign management module now superseded by PeopleStage). Through wanting to know more about the end-to-end process and how things worked, I started getting involved with setting up campaigns and, ultimately, the selections and reporting as well.
K: So, I hear we are accredited in two key modules and we’re one of only five Apteco partners with modelling accreditations in the UK. That's impressive. Can you tell me a bit more about these and what the process entails?
M: I’m accredited to train people in both Apteco ‘Base Standard’ and ‘Advanced Modules’, as well as the ‘Modelling Module’. These make up all of the Apteco FastStats specific modules that are on offer to practitioners. I’m also planning to add the PeopleStage one to this list in the coming months which is exciting!
Gaining Apteco accreditations includes a level of examination, as well as presentations to prove that you know the software well enough to be able to train new users effectively. We’re required to renew the accreditations annually, which ensures we’re always on our toes and up-to-date with all the latest functionality available.
Apteco marketing software is a campaign execution platform and analytics suite allowing marketeers and analysts to maximise the understanding of their customer data as well as action multi-channel communications to their audiences.
The Apteco software provides a number of added benefits for its users including:
K: Amazing stuff. Can you share some highlights from the year just gone? Is there any client work that either challenged or excited you?
M: 2022 was a big year for Apteco and DCX. The software has allowed us to do some great things for our clients. The power within some of the expression tools (a built-in coding solution that allows you to manipulate and aggregate your data), combined with the modelling capabilities, has meant that clients, such as Greene King, have been able to predict lapsing customer behaviour at the earliest opportunity, whilst also understanding exactly who does / who doesn’t need incentivisation at a given point in time. This has resulted in millions in combined cost savings and incremental revenue.
Our work with Health Education England, to migrate their existing campaigns into Apteco PeopleStage, has also saved them considerable costs in the initial set-up, as well as ongoing maintenance - all thanks to the flexibility of Apteco. They‘ve gained valuable time back to think more strategically, and they’ve also gained access to near real-time information – which helps their strategic thinking – all thanks to the Apteco Orbit reporting and dashboard capabilities.
K: That’s impressive! So, what are some key benefits of Apteco that are worth knowing about?
M: As an Apteco Premium Partner agency, we know first-hand how well the software can help clients to understand their customers better - because we’ve seen it in action. Apteco has designed their software to be as user-friendly as possible, without compromising on power and capabilities. They’re really responsive to client needs, as well as industry trends, and if you happen to find something the tool can’t do, they’ll often develop a solution.
Apteco FastStats has an easy-to-use drag and drop based interface that makes it great for analysts and marketeers to query their data - right from simple campaign counts through to customer behaviour analysis, and even predictive modelling. That same level of flexibility is seen in the campaign management tool PeopleStage, allowing users to build clear workflow-based journeys that are easy to understand and fully automatable. Finally, with Orbit, all of those campaigns and deep-dive analytics pieces can be shared throughout the organisation for true understanding and transparency at every level.
K: It sounds like the software really does it all! And do you predict any upcoming trends or changes for Apteco in 2023?
M: Apteco is investing heavily in their Orbit platform at the moment, with more and more functionalities being added. With each 2-week sprint, there is a real acceleration behind the capabilities available! Their future plans include adding the ability to broadcast emails directly from within the campaign area of Orbit. This will be a fantastic addition to the end-to-end capabilities of the overall platform.
K: To wrap things up, can you tell us where you want to take the DCX Apteco practice in the next 12-24 months? What can current (and future!) DCX clients be excited about?
M: We want to stay top of the league with our knowledge of the tool, continue to work in close partnership with Apteco, supporting their growth in 2023, and we want to push the boundaries of what’s possible to ensure our clients are as competitive in their respective markets as possible. One of our specific goals is to broaden our level of accreditations. We’re also keen to introduce Apteco to more of our current clients and the wider Paragon business – we know there are many that could hugely benefit from an Apteco solution.
Our expert Apteco practice is made up of fully-accredited users and trainers – real experts in Apteco, data gathering, data analysis, campaigns, and reporting. For over twenty years, we’ve been helping brands understand their customers better, transform how they communicate across multiple channels, as well as make and save money.
Whether you need support on optimising your use of Apteco, or you’d like advice on how to better understand and communicate with your customers, we can help.
Do Business.
Better.
Want to talk?
