The Start
When Elson Smith, son of the owners, COB Guy Smith Senior, his son CEO Guy Smith Jr, in Hampton Rhodes with 450 employees presented a tool, an app, but so much more, to the General Manager of the Service Department Ken Smith. This was the start of a whole new company.
SaaS - The Whole Story
Let's go back a to the 5w's; where, who, when, why, what and the results.
The Where - Guy Smith HVAC.
The Who - Elson Smith | Co-Founder, President & CEO | DO | VP CSM Div
The When - May, 2010, Elson had a project for his Six Sigma Green Belt.
The Why - The project was to improve the roi on overall time, performance, customer experience and product sales in the service tech, sales and marketing team divisions.
The What - Elson systematically and analytically designed a data base driven shtml phone app, he tested the app using 4 shy service techs, not known for utilizing a sales process and 4 direct sales agents with
lower average sales totals. Elson ran live A/B testing using the techs and sales agents in the field with live contacts for 90 days.
The Results - After only 90 days the techs and agents were amazed, actually happy and closure ratios had risen over 20%. The time the app saved was a huge plus taking only 45 seconds using the app compaired to 25 minutes not using the app.
Customer feedback showed that the customers loved the app and praised the quick and painless system stating that they felt instant trust knowing that the pricing was not manipulated by the service techs.
This would save thousands of dollars anually in manpower hours. The app was a game changer, a great roi generator and it and proved using the app even timid service tech and sale agent could quickly generate sale and look confident, no guess work, less mistakes and more confidence in the company.
On August 13, 2010 all results and analysis was in and Elson knew the sales, marketing, service, and customer success departments would all be enhanced and that the app would become a great SaaS tool for growing ARR.
Elson conferred with the Service Manager, his brother Ken Smith and presented the data.
Together they called a meeting with the CEO, GM, Senior PM, and the Senior Sales Manager to present the data, the members were on board and a name for the app Elson had developed was voted on.
It was agreed the name would be the, "45 seconds 2 impact App".
The 45 seconds 2 impact app was unofficially set into motion for use by all departments dealing in any form of sales.
The Proposal
In May 2011, after one year of successful market testing with great results, Elson Smith proposed to the CEO, Guy Smith Jr, VP OP, BJ Smith and to the Board, the formation of an SaaS Tech company called 452 Impact, LLC.
The CEO, VP, Board, Elson and Ken Smith all agreed that the value so far based on the 12 months of testing and the fact over 100 companies had already expressed interest in paying for the app as a service for a license fee or a monthly subscription fee that a SaaS department be set up. Elson was named Director, one more hat on his head.
It was official, and 452 Impact, LLC company was set up on May 18, 2011. Both companies were located in the same building, still as a divison of Guy Smith, Inc. COB, Guy Smith Senior and VP OP, BJ Smith co-managing 452 Impact with Elson Smith, and CEO, Guy Smith JR and Ken Smith continue co-managing at Guy Smith HVAC.
Tragedy in 3's Strike Home
On June 10, 2014, COB, Guy Smith Senior passes away, December 12, 2016 the VP & Director of Operations, BJ Smith unexpectedly passed away. January 14, 2018 the CEO, Guy Smith Jr stepped down as CEO claiming to health problems and grief; Guy Smith Jr sadly passed away one months later on Febuary 14, 2018 due to a sudden heart attack.
We all know how much covid has touched the lives of many families and our prayers are with them. Keep the Faith.
The Quick Change
April, 2018 452 Impact, LLC becomes 452 Impact, Inc and reloacted it's HQ to Portland, ME. It was made official that 452 Impact, Inc is a 100% employee owned company and all full time employees will have voting rights.
Senior management; Elson and Ken Smith will continue running operations at 452 Impact in the structure of a LLC at the bequest of Guy Smith and the Guy Smith, Inc division was officially sold, all profits from the sale will go to a charity that Guy Smith Jr privately bequest.
Elson took over as COB, VP of Customer Success | Director of B2b Relations & SaaS PM and Ken took over as the Director Opperations | VP of SaaS B&D | Director of Sales & Marketing.
452 Impact has over 2000 companies in five states using the 452isq-app, and have added a two Enterprise Cloud Server divisions, some small to midsize business hosting services divisions, a Smart Contract / Blockchain dapp division, and web/logo design services division, NicheOasis and OasisThemes.
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