모멘텀 에피소드 20:
Steve Hartert와 함께 엔터프라이즈급 솔루션 성장

Selecting the right software for your company's workflow can be one of the most important operational and financial decisions an organization makes.

When you're the one selling the software, how do you get companies to commit and perhaps more importantly, how do you get them to stick around?

Today we'll be talking about what it takes to grow an Enterprise customer base with Jform's very own VP of sales operations, Steve Harvet.

Welcome to Momentum, a podcast by Jform where we talk about the technology, productivity tips, insights, and best practices that help us move forward in business and in life.

Let's get started.

[Music] Maintaining momentum.

All right, so I'm here with Steve Harvet, VP of sales operations at Jform, and I know you're no stranger to podcasts in your time, Steve.

So I think it's overdue that we actually had you here on Momentum, so welcome to the show.

Thank you very much, glad to be here.

Yeah, it's great to have you.

So what I'd like to talk about today is everything that goes into growing and sustaining a software solution for Enterprise level organizations.

Jform has always been and always will be a great online form and productivity tool for individuals and small businesses.

But in recent years, we've really been able to successfully scale our Enterprise level solution called Jform Enterprise.

That's a totally different ball game, as I'm sure you can attest to, and that's where you come in as VP of sales operations.

So I thought it would be really great to just get your insight and perspective on the day-to-day of what goes into that.

Maybe a good place to start would just be some context around your own personal background before diving into what your role here now entails.

Okay, yeah, as far as my time here with Jform, I started off as the chief marketing officer about four years ago.

We got this idea to put together the Enterprise product, which is more or less for bigger solutions for bigger types of companies.

Anyway, cut to the chase, our CEO asked me to move over and help ferry that through the development process and get it up and going.

That's where I'm at now, so we're continuing to grow the Enterprise side of the equation and it's becoming a very popular product for our users.

Which is great.

So it's about three or four years ago that we really started this initiative.

Sounds like we made the decision early on to separate Enterprise from our small business or smaller business solution.

Why is that? Why don't you just combine the two? It's the same product at the end of the day, right?

At a certain point, they are the same product at its most basic core function, which is creating forms and form submission data.

But then it splits off because our standard product is really for a single user.

If you're like a bakery, a dry cleaner, or a doctor's office, you just need a form but only one person creating and one person getting the data.

Enterprise is designed for multiple users at a location.

We work with some very large companies, many in the Fortune 500, using this.

They might have multiple departments that need to use something like Jform to collect data.

For example, HR, operations, county, marketing, all doing part of it under one umbrella.

We offer a main collection point where it can all be created inside of it.

There's also a security level that comes on top of it.

If you had 25 users at one company with individual accounts, all 25 own the data, not the company.

With Enterprise, the company owns the data because it's under this umbrella.

You've got an administrator and users underneath it.

Users create forms and look at data, but the admin controls access.

We offer single sign-on and higher levels of security.

You're also on your own standalone server, unlike standard products on a shared server.

There are many functionalities under the hood that people may not be aware of, like data residency.

For example, if you're in Australia, we have servers there to comply with Australian security laws.

We have servers all over Europe and the US to meet security requirements companies need.

These requirements don't relate as much to single users or small businesses but are necessary for larger Enterprise organizations.

Productivity, collaboration, multiple people, and security net are really important.

That makes sense from a logistical perspective.

As we started growing the Enterprise side and establishing this, how long did it take to form into what it is today with Fortune 500 companies?

Was it overnight, months, or years to implement? How did it grow since you started working on Enterprise?

The Enterprise system as we know it is an outgrowth of a very early stand-alone product from about 10 years ago.

It was a non-premise solution, not a SaaS solution like we have now.

A customer wanted to upgrade to the latest version, but we didn't support the old one anymore.

That spurred the idea to offer a solution for larger companies.

We took our existing standard product and moved it into Enterprise.

It took about six months of development to get to a workable product.

During that time, we answered many security questions from the customer for months.

There was hesitation internally about whether it was worth the investment.

I said if we can solve this company's security issues, we can solve anyone's, which proved true.

Now companies come to us with security questionnaires, but it took about a year and a half total development time to blossom into the product it is now.

You come at it from a unique perspective because you've been on the smaller business side and now flipped over to Enterprise.

Comparing the two, what's the process of getting clients on board for Enterprise versus Small Business?

Our standard plans are very self-serve; users come to the website, sign up, and can upgrade as needed.

For Enterprise, they fill out a form with contact info and questions.

There's a minimum of five users to start working on Enterprise.

They talk to a business development manager who contacts them and may do demonstrations.

They talk to CIOs, IT directors, HR directors, even CEOs who want to see how it works.

Questions about security, ease of use, and other factors come into play.

It's a much more involved purchasing decision involving cost, security, and ease of use.

The whole process usually takes a month to a month and a half from start to finish.

For BSG users, there's not much commitment; they can try free or upgrade to bronze.

For Enterprise, it's a huge investment integrating into existing technology stacks and workflows.

It's important for software solutions expanding into Enterprise to be prepared for security concerns, which are a huge theme.

Besides security, what other components have been key to our success in growing Enterprise?

For the most part, it's existing users on standard plans needing more features or multiple users.

They want their own domain for branding and confidence for their customers.

They want more control over data and integrations with their technology stacks.

Security is always the first thing they ask about, and we can address it in many ways.

We're constantly evolving our security to meet new threats and requirements.

We use hosting services like Google Cloud or AWS, which helps with security questionnaires.

Features like two-factor authentication and infrastructure solve many security problems.

The process involves back and forth over weeks or months to ensure the right fit.

This is very different from how many BSG users experience Jotform.

Our CEO has talked about upgrading users by giving them a carrot, not beating them with a stick.

We offer more features to encourage upgrades rather than taking things away.

This approach makes users more conducive to becoming Enterprise members.

Our standard plan is consumption-based; users get more features as they move up.

Enterprise users get multiple users and can bring over forms and data seamlessly.

Organizations that need more users find value in Enterprise features.

What types of companies and industries need extra security or multi-level access?

Three main markets: healthcare, education, and government.

Healthcare is form-intensive with special security issues involving personal health information.

Education involves many forms and securing data for children under 18.

Government entities at local, state, and federal levels use us and require data residency.

They want the system to fit into their existing stacks like Salesforce or HubSpot.

Our integrations allow data to snap into their systems smoothly.

For example, a company in Los Angeles uses approvals heavily, saving a huge amount of time.

A charter school system in Nevada uses Jform for registration, saving countless hours and money.

Processes that took days now take less than an hour, streamlining operations.

People use Jform for simple contact collection or e-commerce like selling licenses.

On the Enterprise level, we work with clients to build custom solutions using APIs and engineers.

This attention to detail helps attract business and build credibility.

Companies usually sign one-year contracts and renew, showing strong retention.

How do we keep them coming back after the initial contract?

We have a good product that works out of the box and is intuitive.

Enterprise users get higher levels of tech support and personalized help.

Post-sale support is more important than pre-sale in ensuring success.

Our engineers help solve technical problems and integrations for clients.

This level of support isn't feasible on standard plans due to scale.

Being responsive to client needs and fitting their systems is key to retention.

The product is sticky; once integrated, clients find many uses and don't want to leave.

For example, Marin County started using it for COVID testing and expanded to many departments.

They get real-time data updates and won a technical achievement award for their use.

Clients praise the product as a lifesaver.

The product networks with other solutions, making it hard for companies to leave.

We want to become so important to clients that they can't imagine running their business without us.

We've talked about benefits and amazing things with Jform Enterprise.

What are major challenges encountered expanding this side of the business?

Challenges include keeping up with rapid growth, having enough staff to cover territory and support customers.

Growth continues every month with new and renewing users.

Being part of this growth is fun but involves day-to-day problem solving.

It's amazing to see how far we've come in a few years.

How has your role as VP of sales operations changed in the last three to four years?

Three or four years ago, I was also chief marketing officer, marketing the whole company.

As Enterprise grew, I moved more into this part of the business.

My day starts by checking overnight leads from around the world.

The business chases the sunrise with leads and questions coming in 24/7.

I process leads, payments, invoices, and manage security questionnaires.

I answer questions from sales teams and the executive board.

I'm very much in the trenches, connected to the business and day-to-day operations.

My favorite part of the job is working with the team, especially the technical people.

I'm always blown away by how smart they are and how they come up with solutions.

The sales team is great to work with; it's a teamwork environment with everyone paddling in the same direction.

Through this journey of growing and scaling, what's one thing you've learned above all others?

I've learned what it takes to grow a company or division, like a startup within a company but 10x bigger.

You have to stay in tune with everything constantly, like not turning your back on the ocean.

I'm surprised at how much I still learn every day in this fast-moving industry.

From a marketing perspective, things we dreamed of are now routine.

If you could give one piece of advice to smaller companies looking to grow into Enterprise, what would it be?

Know your customer, know the problem you're trying to solve, and come up with the best solution.

At Jform, the problem is streamlining data collection, whether for a Fortune 500 or a mom and pop bakery.

The scale of the problem differs, but it's the same problem at its core.

Know the problem and how to address it.

Any final words?

Enterprise is one of the most exciting things that has happened at Jform since we started.

We have many things in the pipeline coming in the next months and years.

I encourage everyone to check it out because it can literally change your company for the better.

When people get it, they're excited, so come join the fun.

Thank you so much for your time, Steve. I've learned a lot and it's been awesome to have you on the show.

My pleasure, anytime.