Finding the Right BI Partner
TalosCo is a Cyprus-based consultancy that helps companies in a range of industries implement, maintain, and customize the MS Dynamics BC ERP system.
When Senior Business Intelligence Consultant Alexander Pavlou joined TalosCo in 2016, the company was looking to enhance its offerings by supplying customers with a BI solution that would complement the Dynamics BC ERP, known at the time as Dynamics Navision.
Alexander’s director insisted that the company partner with TARGIT and begin offering its all-in-one BI and analytics solution to Navision customers.
"He said that out of all the BI solutions on the market, TARGIT had something special. It was a lot more user-friendly, with a lot more functionality than any alternative options.”
Alexander explains that a big part of what attracted TalosCo to TARGIT was TARGIT’s specialized solution for Dynamics Navision/BC. “The backbone of TARGIT was built based on Navision, and the two systems have just always worked seamlessly together. So, it was realistically the only option for us back then.”
As Microsoft’s Dynamics ERP system has evolved, TARGIT has evolved along with it, paving the way for continued success at TalosCo.
“The backbone of the ERP system has changed quite a bit, but TARGIT has been right behind them following it. They haven't skipped a beat. There hasn't been a version of Navision that hasn't connected to TARGIT.”
Empowering Customers With Up-to-Date ERP Insights
Today, Alexander and the team at TalosCo work closely with TARGIT’s team to design, implement, and maintain reports and dashboards inside TARGIT through the BI accelerator for Dynamics BC. He explains that TalosCo is closely involved in helping customers implement BI and start using data to inform their business decisions.
Many of TalosCo’s customers come to the company looking for full-service BI outsourcing since many don’t have an in-house BI specialist. Alexander and his team design many of the TARGIT reports for their customers, which means that, along with selling the solution to new customers, they spend a lot of time inside TARGIT supporting existing ones.
“I have grown quite accustomed to the look of TARGIT and the ease of use of its design elements, especially on the canvas layout where everything is free flowing. You can resize, remove, change shapes, and change colors. It sounds like very simple stuff, but simplicity is king, and complexity is built on the simple things being done perfectly.”
Alexander shares that, when helping customers solve challenges or meet requirements, TalosCo employees first look to provide them with a TARGIT-powered solution before recommending they add a new software product to their tech stack.
The team looks for opportunities to further integrate TARGIT into various business areas, creating forecasting reports, customer statements, loyalty reports, and more to support multiple departments within customers’ operations.
“It only takes a couple reports, dashboards, and PDF triggers from TARGIT for our customers to realize the benefits of not just BI software in general, but properly integrated BI software that’s built with the demands of the business and company-wide expansion in mind.”
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Alexander shares that much of TalosCo and TARGIT’s shared success comes from his relationships with the account managers. Rather than waiting days to hear back on requests or getting locked into a strict pricing model, TARGIT and TalosCo stay in close contact during the sales process, curating proposals to fit the needs of TalosCo’s prospects.
“I really appreciate the relationship I have with TARGIT. I always tell my clients and potential clients that I get to speak directly to the people at TARGIT. I can design proposals and create bespoke offers for each prospective customer. I have a lot of open dialogue with the team, especially with my account managers. That is something that is unique to me as a software provider.”
This level of teamwork is essential for Alexander and his team as it allows them to secure more deals and create a greater level of trust between TalosCo, TARGIT, and TalosCo’s customers.
“We don’t just implement the solution and leave. We stay involved in our customers’ businesses and maintain an open dialogue. I even like to share ideas and use cases between customers. At the end of the day, it’s all about creating an environment that works well for everyone. The collaboration between TalosCo, TARGIT, and our customers is really the key to delivering the best product possible.”
Alexander also explains that TARGIT’s openness to partners’ ideas, feedback, and suggestions gives him confidence in the two companies’ collaboration.
“I like that TARGIT continuously works to solidify its relationships with existing customers and partners while building new prospects. I like the fact that, as a TARGIT partner, I get to be part of that growth. I also really like that I can come to the team with my challenges, ideas, and suggestions, and they will take my input into account.”
Planning for Future Growth
TalosCo only had three employees when Alexander joined the team. Today, it employs ten people, with plans for continued expansion. And as TalosCo continues to grow, so does the need for BI across Cyprus. Less than a decade ago, BI was seen as a relatively niche product in Cyprus. Most organizations saw BI software as a tool used primarily by executives to look at a few KPIs to guide the company.
Alexander explains that TARGIT’s top-down approach to BI and data-driven decision-making aligned well with how BI has evolved across the country.
“TARGIT is all about equipping everyone with data. It starts with the CFO, but insights are shared across the entire organization. As TARGIT grows, the total cost of ownership is transparent and allows organizations to expand their BI usage. It really becomes a company-wide tool.”
“It was quite rocky at the beginning because BI wasn't well known here in Cyprus. Now that data has exploded, people rely on timely insights to understand what's happening in their business. It's moving much faster, and more and more companies are looking for support in their BI and analytics projects.”
Alexander plans to bring on additional BI consultants at TalosCo, expanding the company’s BI-related offerings into a full-service BI-as-a-service consultancy, backed by TARGIT’s BI solution for the Dynamics BC ERP.
