AIMSIO

Case Study: AIMSIO - Gain control of your field operations

This Calgary startup offers a product, which helps construction firms and other companies that have to manage workers and equipment spread out in the field. To run their business, these companies must collect and keep track of all kinds of information from different - sometimes remote – locations, and this can make things inefficient and slow. Back in 2013, the four Aimsio co-founders became aware of this problem and decided to do something about it. Their solution taps into the power of cloud computing technologies, and allows users to log, view and manage information reliably and timely, regardless of their location. Essentially, Aimsio’s software enables its customers to do their operations online, thus making them more effective and profitable. In 2016, Aimsio secured almost $10 million in venture capital, and it recently opened a second office in Vancouver.

Company website: https://aimsio.com/

Charting the Team’s Design Thinking Process

Empathize

Who have you spoken to?

We spoke directly to companies that later became our customers. We didn’t even know of their issue until they told us about it. Interestingly, when talking to several people in each company, e.g. CEO, CFO, COO, we found that each of them articulated the problem differently, providing us with different insights.

What are the most impactful common issues they experience?

• Losing money due to manual and redundant data entry
• An inefficient system for managing their resources (crew, equipment and projects)
• An inefficient way for tracking the company’s costs and profits
• Lack of the technical expertise to address their challenges. It’s like they know they need a car to get to their destination faster, but don’t have the knowledge to build one!

What have they already tried to solve their problem?

Some companies tried to use more resources e.g. more personnel. Some tried to eliminate paper by scanning their forms, or used Microsoft Excel to capture data in the field on spreadsheets, and manually create reports. They used systems like Google Drive and Dropbox to store digital copies of their files.

Define

Who is your primary audience?

Companies that send significant resources (10+ workers and/or equipment) out in the field, such as companies specialized in oil & gas, construction (utility, pipeline, commercial) or inspection services. These companies are located in North America, primarily Canada and US, and have $5M to $200M in annual revenue, while still using paper and excel to process millions of dollars in field work. We target directly their executive teams, usually CEO, CFO and COO, as they are the decision makers.

What is the challenge you are trying to solve?

Create systems and tools based on new technologies, that save our customers money & time, improve their tracking of information and reporting, and make them more efficient overall in how they manage their resources and projects.

What is the outcome you want for your users?

Improving our customers’ businesses, especially out in the field, and help them free up resources for new purposes.

Ideate

What solutions already exist?

Over 60 systems existed before Aimsio started, e.g. Google Drive and Dropbox. Initially we didn’t think we’d need to build a new system but, after reviewing all the existing solutions, we couldn’t find one that worked for our customers.

What are some radical new solutions you can think of?

Every day we hear a cool new idea from our customers. We don’t have shortage of new ideas. The biggest challenge is to prioritize and look at what we call the effort/impact matrix. The best solutions are the ones that require low effort but have the highest impact. The worst ones to pursue are the ones that require high effort but result in low impact.

What other industries/ideas have you used as inspiration?

We are a cross-section of technology and field service. We bring the cutting-edge Silicon Valley approach to an old-school and not so tech savvy sector. Our inspiration comes from highly innovative companies like Apple, Google, Tesla, HubSpot, Airbnb, etc.

What are your constraints?

Money and time.

Prototype

What are core assumptions/parts of your MVP (minimum viable product)?

We initially assumed that the solution we provided was truly needed by our customers and that we were going to solve a major pain for them. However, test results showed our initial MVP was more of a vitamin (nice-to-have) than a pain killer (must-have). So, we pivoted and came up with an improved MVP, which was great but not the ultimate pain killer. Then, we pivoted one more time and created the product we are currently offering. In conclusion, using the lean start-up approach, and going through fast rounds of testing our assumptions, allowed us to pivot the company 3 times. In most cases, the idea you start with is not the one you will end up with as your primary solution. This is the power of MVP, learning quick and iterating fast to evolve your product and find a true need.

How did you test your MVP quickly?

We got it in the hands of our customers as soon as we had something that was ‘somewhat’ working! And got their feedback as soon as possible. We didn’t wait until we thought it was perfect. Most often customers want something totally different and our assumptions are inaccurate, so we don’t want to waste our time and resources by aiming for a finished product in one single shot.

Who did you get to test it?

We looked for early adopters – people who love to test out new ideas. Also, we found customers whose business was severely impacted by the inefficiency of their data management systems, and who were willing to test new solutions that might address their challenge.

Test

How did users respond to your solution?

As we provided them with the software and used their feedback to iterate on our MVP fast, they responded positively because they saw we’re listening and solving their problems. Once we had the right solution to their challenge, they loved our product and became our biggest advocates. They practically do the marketing for us!

What are the strengths of your solution?

It is easy to use, eliminates the need for multiple disconnected systems, and adapts to customer needs.

What are the weaknesses of your solution?

The system is complex, with multiple moving parts, and therefore requires a lot of configuration to get it to work properly.

What will you try next?

We are running lots of experiments (MVPs), from product to marketing to sales. We will soon try a new approach to sales, a new feature. Our next move is to increase customer traction and scale our business!