Background
TaroWorks is a social enterprise that develops and sells an advanced mobile customer relationship management (CRM) platform that enhances data collection, monitoring, sales, and inventory management for nonprofits and other organizations providing services to the world’s poorest. Designed to work in areas with limited or no network connectivity and boasting a simplified user interface, TaroWorks is playing a unique role enabling organizations around the world to enhance the lives of bottom of the pyramid consumers by bringing real-time data to any organization, anywhere.
Business Problem
TaroWorks is driving a significant amount of value, both in terms of the economics it delivers, and the impact reach it enables for its customers. But with a limited marketing staff and budget, TaroWorks found its ability to tell its story was somewhat lagging its presence in the market. With more than 60 customers operating in over 40 countries, the TaroWorks platform is the true backbone of such notable social enterprises as Iluméxico, Solar Sister, Sistema Biobolsa, and the BOMA Project; unfortunately, it had only a handful of published customer case studies, and in particular it was lacking stories that highlighted the TaroWorks business value propostion for its customers.
Solution
TaroWorks was part of a program given by the Miller Center at the University of Santa Clara that provides business training for social enterprises to improve their impact, and Ed Callan worked with TaroWorks in his role as a Miller Center mentor. Through that program, Ed worked with TaroWorks to sharpen its business model, scaling, and overall messaging/positioning strategy. The Miller Center program also identified a variety of action items for the TaroWorks team, one of which was to continue to build its communications efforts, which included creating additional case studies. Wanting to continue to contribute to TaroWorks’ success, Ed suggested working with several TaroWorks customers to develop case studies that highlighted the business value proposition story.
Results
Ed Callan created three separate case studies describing how Solar Sister, Sistema Biobolsa, and the BOMA Project is using TaroWorks to enable their operations. While developing these studies, Ed traveled to rural Kenya to visit the operational centers for two of the companies – Sistema Biobolsa and the BOMA project – and tagged along on customer service calls to see their use of TaroWorks in action. Ed worked with the companies to drill down on, understand, and articulate all aspects of business value delivered. The case studies are now publicly available and are being used to articulate the value of its service delivery to customers and prospects.
“We hired Ed to write some in-depth case studies of how three of our clients improved their businesses by using our software. These were complex organizations and Ed had to simultaneously learn about both their businesses and our technology. He was able to synthesize both parts and produce a case study that anyone can read and see the value we create. I would especially recommend Ed to social enterprises looking for an expert who uses his Silicon Valley expertise to also benefit for-profit, for-purpose businesses.”
— Brent Chism
CEO