It’s hard to believe we are nearly a quarter of the way through 2019. As we move into the second quarter, I want to update you on our progress and what’s been happening at AQ.
On our live webinar in January, I shared that my immediate focus was threefold; to deep dive into the current business processes of AQ and CQ, create more customer-centric business practices including opening new channels of communication, and to connect with our customers, industry partners and associations to better understand how we can continue best serving the industry.
I am happy to report that we are making great progress on all fronts. In particular, I am excited about the amount of engagement we have had with customers and partners in a short period of time. I’ve personally met with more than 50 AQ customers and industry groups gaining valuable feedback about the business challenges affecting the industry. More broadly, as an organization we have had hundreds of discussions including in-depth sessions, one on one meetings at NAFEM and several buying group conferences as well as two very well attended on-line product requirements sessions.
I can't thank all of our customers and partners enough for taking the time to connect with us in these forums. The feedback and collaboration from you help us to prioritize our investments to be the best possible long-term partner for the industry. AQ has a long history of bringing innovation to the industry and by staying aligned, we will innovate together to meet your ongoing business needs.
Over the last 90 days, I have also been working closely with our team to define the processes, organization and tools we need to continue providing the highest level of service. As a result, we hired Ed Stone as Vice President of Sales in January and will continue to add to our team including the establishment of a customer success function that will support both our North American and European customers. We are rolling out new user agreements to provide clearer accountability for privacy, data usage and data security and we are implementing a set of internal technology tools to help us work more efficiently as a team.
Looking to the second quarter, we are moving into the execution phase on some exciting new products and enhancements while we continue to design future products. Our near-term focus includes:
-
- AQ GO - Our mobile solution giving users a more effective way to work on the move
- AQ View - A reporting tool to help vendors evaluate and improve the effectiveness of their products published in the AQ marketplace
- SpecPath integration - A smart import that allows sales reps to convert SpecPath projects into dealer quotes
- AQ Designer Plug-In for AutoDesk® Revit® - Using the plug-in, Revit users will be able to access our library of over 50,000 Revit families in their drawings.
As we look forward to the second half of the year we anticipate working to better integrate AQ with other systems for smoother data flow, evaluating our role to help with the growing needs for e-commerce solutions and the next generation of OrderStatus to provide a more seamless connection through the supply chain.
Thanks again for your time, input and spirit of collaboration. I look forward to hearing your feedback about the new products, features and direction as we continue to innovate together.