22 Acquisition International - Issue 3 2023 Fuelling Up for the Future! ompanion Software provides bespoke software solutions to enable companies working in the fuel and logistics industries to better manage their businesses. Neil Broderick established the firm having started in the IT department of a fuel distributorship. It soon became apparent that the third-party IT providers the firm was working with could not meet its requirements, and that other products in the area were insufficient. Neil started to develop his own fuel software products and soon Companion Software was born. “We started the company with two main design philosophies for everything we did,” he begins. “To provide all the tools in one package that a company requires to manage its business, and have information captured just once and still be available to all departments that require it. These goals have never shifted, although we have now added a third goal, which is to automate as many tasks as possible.” Companion Software is not a shrink-wrapped software provider. Instead, the firm’s USPs are plentiful. To start with, it tailors its solutions to the client’s requirements for just about every installation it undertakes. This is achieved via a single code base and the use of settings to modify system behaviour as required. As opposed to other software where releases might be made once or twice a year, Companion Software provides an updated version of the software on a monthly basis which is automatically downloaded and installed after hours. These updates contain enhancements, new features, and bug fixes. Release notes are sent out several days in advance so users are aware of what will be in the release, and there are other developments in the works currently which will enable greater control, flexibility, and visibility into the changes before they are applied to the production environment. “Our innovative products and services are constantly developing to keep pace with the changing industry requirements,” elaborates Neil. “Often these changes occur before our clients have even asked for it to be made, so by the time they are ready to adopt it, the solution is already available to them. This has often led to our clients commenting that whilst they might not utilise the full suite of modules available to them, they have peace of mind knowing that a feature is available for them when the time comes.” One of the main defining characteristics of the team at Companion Software is that many of the individuals have direct industry experience in logistics software and fuel POS, something which Neil believes shows through in the firm’s client interactions and sets it aside from competitors. He also feels that his leadership style of the company has contributed to its success within the sector and explains how the management C Jan23540 As a young energetic independent fuel and logistics focused team, Companion Software’s innovative products are hard at work across Australia in a number of large to medium fuel distributorships. We speak to one of the firm’s founders in the wake of it being recognised in the Global Excellence Awards 2023. team enables each department to work autonomously, whilst maintaining a core focus that aligns everyone on the same goal. “We don’t micro-manage our employees,” he states. “Instead, we give them a level of trust and autonomy that allows them to deliver their best work within the confines of delivering a consistent and stable solution.” As a company, Companion Software has grown its client base almost solely on word-of-mouth marketing. Having recently been recognised in the Global Excellence Awards 2023 and named Best Fuel & Logistics Distribution Software Company 2023 – Australia, Neil is excited about some of the opportunities that winning will provide. “We are very excited to be recognised as winner in this category, and believe it is due to our growing team’s dedication and hard work to provide the best possible solutions to our clients. “Having come from the same industry, we have a great understanding of their requirements, and can deliver an integrated solution to achieve the desired results rather than “bolting” on another addition to a legacy solution. We feel that this “inside knowledge” is a significant factor in winning this award.” Now, as the future beckons, Neil and the management team have a broad roadmap for the company’s products over the coming years. With new technologies regularly coming to market, that clients are often unaware of or uncertain how to implement, Companion Software aims to assist by being the go-to expert. “We did not come out of the blue to develop a product for an industry we do not understand,” Neil states. “All our software was born out of necessity to run our fuel distributorship. We can, and will, assist through our knowledge of the fuel ERP industry, and we can centralise development to benefit our client base as a whole.” Contact: Neil Broderick Company: Companion Software Email: enquiries@companionsoftware.com.au Web Address: www.companionsoftware.com.au
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