Simple is beautiful. But when it comes to software, companies are all too eager to throw this perfectly beautiful principle out of the window. Not so for PRgloo whose software for busy PR and comms teams is doing it differently. And doing it well.
Start with Simple
The powerhouse behind PRgloo is CEO Samantha Deeks. With years of insight into how a well-designed PR software system could really make a difference to customers, and frustrated and tired at not being able to respond to those needs while working for big corporates, Sam decided to be the solution to the problem.
In late 2013 she got together a dream team of developers and designers who shared the unshakeable faith in the power of good ideas and good people to execute those ideas. After eight months of exhilarating work they launched PRgloo – a company that sticks by its customers, listens to feedback and continually develops software solutions for all types of PR professionals.
Samantha says, “People who see the product give a little sigh of relief because it looks easy and interesting to use with an immediate personality”. She says, “without this, all of our clever coding, application security and speedy performance would have amounted to just another software system to learn.”
The Gloo Which Holds it All Together
In a nutshell PRgloo brings together the tools which communicators need. Using PRgloo, customers have one place in which to manage their online newsroom, press release and newsletter distribution, journalist research, media and stakeholder relationships, issues, enquiries, lines to take and more.
Each element is carefully designed to be intuitive and easy to use because, as Samantha says “If something isn’t simple to use, it simply won’t get used – no matter how amazing the analytics or the end benefits of using it will be. You have to get people engaging with the platform before anything else can follow.”
Unlike the majority of software solutions for PR teams which simply focus on contacts and coverage, PRgloo enables customers to get rid of multiple systems (spreadsheets, shared folders, outlook inboxes, content management tools, crm tools) in favour of one simplified, unified platform. Not only does this save time, it also makes the data more secure, GDPR compliant and useful. Reports can be run in seconds over the entire spectrum of the team’s effort – not just the tiny amount which makes it into the press.
The company is also excellent at building branded newsrooms to showcase the proactive work done by their customers. Users can craft press releases in seconds, pick tailored lists of influencers to send to, then schedule and distribute at the same time. So much less stressful – especially when you’re on a deadline.
Being human has its benefits
PRgloo made the wise business decision to build a support team of humans rather than simply have a pure ‘self-serve / self-help’ model. Customers can speak to real people and get their issues sorted instantly rather than suffer in silence or wade through endless tickets. And whilst this may seem like over-service for a SaaS platform, it’s delivered real economic advantages. Not only do they build real lasting relationships with their customers, they also get fantastic product feedback which they constantly spin into product gold. It’s because of this approach that PRgloo boasts a 97% customer retention rate and consistently gets 4-5 star user reviews.
One of their clients Network Rail, the UK national railway operator even described the tools as “Like oxygen – we need it to live”.
Interested in doing it yourself?
Advising budding entrepreneurs Samantha says, “ignore the competition and do it. Build something which you know will be loved, not something which will look good on paper. Honest and genuinely useful products which have been road tested by actual users will always find a market. And you’re only as good as your team so make sure you’re all in it together. Share the equity and you’ll exponentially increase your output. Don’t be greedy. 25% of a high value company is better than 90% of a crap one.”
About PRgloo
PRgloo is headquartered in London, UK majorly operates in the United Kingdom and the United States. Since its inception it has served 180 clients across six countries. The company is proud of providing its services to high profile government and private sector clients like Siemens, G4S, EasyJet, Tesco, Abbvie, The UK Treasury and Department of Health.
PRgloo is committed to bringing more innovation to the platform to ease the life of corporate communicators.
For more information, Visit: www.prgloo.com