16 01732 759725 TR: In what areas are you experiencing strongest demand? SP: We’re in a unique position as we wholesale all our products, which allows us to offer flexible contracts. This flexibility is increasingly in demand. Given the uncertain economic outlook for the next three to five years, businesses want contracts that are adaptable – if their demand drops, they need a partner who will work with them and accept adjustments without locking them into rigid terms. Amongst SMEs, we are seeing strong demand for leveraging technology to enhance their operations. Even so, many businesses are struggling to get the most out of tools like Copilot because they don’t fully understand how to use them effectively. We must make sure a business is getting the best out of the technology they pay for and that it actually meets the customer’s expectations. In Enterprises, the demand is for a blend of flexible contract terms and superior service that supports their business needs. Unlike larger mobile operators and hosted voice platforms, we’re small and agile enough to deliver personalised solutions that meet these requirements, giving us a significant advantage. TR: What recent wins are you most proud of? SP: Over the past 12 months, I’m most proud of our ability to retain nearly every customer we have looked to renew. Our strong renewal rate is testament to our service model, contract flexibility and competitive commercials, all of which continue to set us apart. TR: Where is business proving most difficult? SP: Our biggest challenge is people. As a managed services business, we rely heavily on platforms and people, but finding and retaining the right talent is increasingly difficult. There’s a significant shortage of key skillsets, and evolving policies like Angela Rayner’s proposed changes are adding to the pressure. For example, hiring a university graduate will soon necessitate paying them £25,000 a year with full workers’ Technology Reseller (TR): How’s business? Better or worse than 12 months ago? And how confident are you about the future? Simon Pickering (SP): Business is better than it was 12 months ago. We are still growing organically, we are seeing strong growth in the SME sector and Enterprise continues to grow – and we are confident about the future because we have a robust organic plan we will deliver on. That said, significant challenges remain. Over the last two years, inflationary pressures have led to price increases for customers, who have become more financially conscious as a result. During renewals, despite delivering excellent service, we’re seeing a shift towards headline pricing versus full contract costs. Whether this approach works long-term remains to be seen. The last budget has complicated matters further because while we are optimistic from an organic growth perspective, managing the cost of running the business, particularly the cost per head, remains challenging. Passing these increased costs on to customers just won’t work. Major suppliers like BT, Vodafone, EE and O2 have already signalled price increases that are likely to be more significant than the modest adjustments in April that we were anticipating. We’re now focused on understanding the impact of these increases and what we can reasonably absorb. Technology remains a priority. We’re exploring ways to help our existing staff work more efficiently, especially through AI – not for customer-facing interactions but to help our teams perform faster without compromising service quality. This has probably brought our previous plans forward by three years. That said, slowing recruitment has put more pressure on existing staff, so we’ve taken steps to prioritise their wellbeing, with a profit share scheme, increased annual leave allowances and added health benefits. Retaining a motivated, healthy workforce is critical but these hidden costs do add up. Running costs for our 57 staff have risen by 3% or £80,000 a year. dbfb is an independent provider of business telephony, connectivity and IT solutions, as well as consultancy and support, to SMEs, enterprises and the public sector. Established by Brian Kingston and Bill Oliver in 1998, under the name Database for Business, it started out specialising in mobile phones and airtime before expanding its offering to include connectivity, cloud telephony, managed print services and comprehensive IT solutions from market-leading vendors. The company’s status as an independent technology provider enables it to create tailored, multi-vendor solutions, while its preference for acquiring products and services on a wholesale basis gives it the flexibility to set its own pricing and contract terms. Under the leadership of Simon Pickering, who joined the company as Managing Director in 2016, dbfb has expanded its product and service offering to meet the needs of enterprises and the public sector as well as its core SME base, increasing its turnover from £2.5 million in 2018 to £13 million today and its headcount from 12 to 57. It is also extending its geographical reach from its roots in Northamptonshire to the M62 corridor, to which end it is opening a new office in Manchester and has just appointed Rugby League legend Paul Sculthorpe MBE as Director to head up its Northern team (see page 42 for more details). Here, Simon Pickering gives his view from the channel. INTERVIEW With Simon Pickering, Managing Director of dbfb View from the Channel… Simon Pickering
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