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A NUMBERS GAME
When 11890 entered the directory enquiries market it took the sector by storm, creating competition in a monopolised space. Nicola Byrne talks frankly to Niamh MacSweeney about her determination to provide an alternative service If you tell somebody they can’t do something it can be like waving a red rag at a bull, and Nicola Byrne is no exception in that regard. With a background in marketing and advertising, she changed direction in 2006 from running a media company to setting up the directory enquiries service 11890. With little or no industry experience it was a leap of faith for her. Taking on the only two other players in the market was a mammoth task, but one that the strong-minded businesswoman was ready to embark upon. It was during a family holiday in the UK that the seed of her idea was planted. She realised that there were a great deal more players in the market in comparison to only two in the Irish market. Aware that those with the deepest pockets often win in an industry where advertising is critical to the success of the service, Byrne decided to begin by going down the business to business route. “We figured that when you go out into a market the others will obviously try to bury you with advertising and drown you out completely because they have so much money and they are so strong. That is why I decided to take the business to business route so that no matter how small, we would have a stable business that could grow from there,” Byrne explains. >COMPETING FOR DOMINANCEShe agrees the directory enquires market in Ireland is crying out for competition and says there are no barriers to entry other than the dominance of the two major players. According to the entrepreneur anybody can set up because there is no limitation on the number of companies providing directory services. She says it is more a matter of doing the physical work required to set up the company, getting the numbers and then the staff to man the phones.“At the moment we are cheaper by about between 32% and 36% between the two competitors and we can make money at that with the right volumes. It’s almost a euro now for the competitors and we are at 71 cent, so they can really do what they like and nobody cares about the price. But it would make a big difference if there were more competitors in the market,” she says. AGGRESSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNIn order to ensure that customers have the 11890 number in their heads when they go to use directory enquires, an aggressive marketing campaign must be pursued if a service provider is to survive in this sector. Byrne hired DDFH&B Advertising agency, who she says have been spectacular. “We have both learned together because this isn’t a market that has a consumer product. You only need to hear the number when you need it and if you only ring every few months we have to stay out there in advertising terms,” Byrne admits.Having learnt a great deal in the last year about advertising in this market, Byrne plans to come back again with a new slightly amended campaign with a lot more focus on the number. Although it can be difficult to keep 11890 in people’s mind when they pick up the phone to call, Byrne says she is very happy with the loyal customer base she has now. “Every time we go out and advertise we grow a bit and then fall back, but we are always higher than when we started so we are constantly gaining,” she proudly reveals. A PERSONAL SERVICESo what does this determined entrepreneur attribute this loyal customer base to? “Its more than a number, we are not automated and will interact the whole way along. Sometimes people are looking for addresses or assistance and we give them that bit extra, which is why they are staying loyal,” Byrne adds.With two call centres based in Dublin and Galway, Byrne is acutely aware of the importance of having enthusiastic and interested staff and believes that it is the staff that have acquired and retained customer loyalty. “You can have all the numbers in the world, but if the staff aren’t prepared to go that bit extra then its all for nothing. The biggest learning curve is that people like talking to people and people like talking to good people,” she says. ACCELERATED GROWTHByrne’s company has grown phenomenally in a short space of time and the entrepreneur is adamant that she will not stop until she hits her target of 20,000 calls a day. Even when she does reach that number it’s hard to imagine that she will be happy to sit back and take it easy. No doubt there will be more ambitious goals for her to meet.While she agrees that the growth of the business has exceeded her expectations she admits that its not all easy and that there are some very tough days. “Some days you feel wonderful because everything is going along perfectly and other days the numbers dip that day for no particular reason or because the competitors turn up their advertising campaign and you worry about what is happening. But you have to grin and bear it and hang on in there and know that it is going to be ok in the end,” she reveals. AMBITIOUS GOALSByrne plans to launch 118900 for Northern Ireland, becoming the first and only all-island directory service number. Opening a call centre in Belfast will be the next stage of development and then she will judge if there is room for her company in the UK market.No one can deny that Byrne has got plenty to keep her occupied. With three young children and a fast growing business, she clearly thrives on being busy, admitting that she rarely works a nine to five day. Extremely driven and not one to give up easily, Byrne confesses she “can’t stop her brain” and hates when somebody tells her she can’t do something. When asked if that makes her more determined she answers with a resounding yes. “I would go and do it just to prove that I can. You only have a very short life so you have to fit as much in as possible and you have to try. Just because you fail doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth putting the effort in - you learn every time,” she reveals. Published in the September 2007 Issue of Irish Entrepreneur | back to top |
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| © 2007 Irish Entrepreneur Irish Entrepreneur is published by Morrissey Media Ltd. 3 Dublin Road, Naas, Co. Kildare. T: + 353 45 866200 F: + 353 45 883709 E: info@irishentrepreneur.com |
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