vWorkApp

Got workers out in the field? Time to get acquainted with Auckland based start-up, vWorkApp. We caught up with their ‘Team USA’, Account Executive Daniel Micaletti who has been representing the Kiwi company for a year and a half now at the KLP offices in San Francisco.

Tell us a little about how vWorkApp works:

Using a web-based client, our customers are able to see where field workers are, get all their jobs and data, then send it out to their employees’ smartphone or tablet. Workers can instantly see where they need to go and what tasks that need to be performed. They can also collect data and communicate back and forth with the office in real time.

Can you name a few companies that use your product?

One that poses a huge opportunity for us is Exxon Mobil. Their workers out at the refineries are using vWorkApp to monitor job progress and communicate back with the office. And in the Southern Hemisphere, Toll logistics is a big one.

You’re a US native brought onboard to represent vWorkApp in the States, what is your role over here?

I’m here to primarily look after sales and channel development. We’ve taken a different approach in the US, in that we’re not focusing on direct sales. For me to just jump into the trucking, logistics, or taxi industries, would take a huge amount of time to build and gain contacts. So we’ve chosen to go through channels of people who already have those industry contacts and knowledge.

How does vWorkApp benefit from having you here at Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco?

It gives vWorkApp a voice in the United States. Just having someone here available to reach out to a customer and have face-to-face contact is really important. I’m able to make sure that the channels are developing properly, that the sales pipeline is being built up, and that the people who are selling through the channels are selling properly. It’s also good to have an ear to the ground where there’s so much buzz around technology.

What is the advantage of being located in San Francisco Vs. Silicon Valley?

It’s a lot easier being here in San Francisco where everything is more aggregated. You have a lot of meet-ups and hackathons, and it’s all very accessible. More and more startups and technology companies are actually moving up to San Francisco, or starting in the city, rather than Silicon Valley.

How have things changed for vWorkApp since arriving in the States?

When we started out we assumed that we could be the complete dispatch and scheduling solution for our customers, but after some feedback we learned that our customers wanted the CRM, invoicing and inventory on top of what we offerred. We’ve since integrated with different software like Salesforce, Square, and others, so that we can now offer that complete solution our customers are looking for.

Salesforce is based just around the corner here in SoMa, did you make that partnership while on the ground in San Francisco?

Absolutely, Salesforce is one of the bigger partnerships that we’ve made while being here. Having that technology hub here in the city is fantastic.

What are some key learnings that you can share from vWorkApp’s entry into the US market?

We would have started with more integrations and collaborations. When we came here we realized that there are so many other companies open to collaborating, integrating and working together to create a better solution for our customers. At the end of the day, it doesn’t make sense to limit ourselves by being stubborn. By being open to collaboration we have expanded our offering and, in turn, our customer base.

Do you have much of a dialogue going with your customers?

Working with a lot of smaller companies we’re really pushing for as much feedback as we can get. Not just the pros and cons of the product, but how they’re using it and how they can envision using it. The Canadian company Foodsters will pick up any meal you want from any restaurant, and just the way that they use vWorkApp is intriguing for us. Getting that feedback is really helping our development team to understand how our customers want to use our product.

Any highlights for vWorkApp you’d like to mention from the past year?

We’ve just released a couple of big integrations. One, which I’ve mentioned, is with Salesforce, and the other is with TomTom. Those two will hopefully be driving our 2013, and so far they’ve got a lot of promise.