A new look, a clearer strategy

Background

Over the last two years we have been looking at how best to support our clients and build a robust business for the future. Our skills, experience and services evolve constantly: reflecting the changing business environment and the opportunities that the Claris FileMaker technology provides. It is important that our business evolves too. We are now unveiling a new strategy, delivered through a programme of developments which will benefit our team, business, clients and partners.

Why: the need

Decent Group is a successful business with a diverse and profitable portfolio of clients, but we are not content to stand still. We want to gradually grow our size and range of services while maintaining our uniquely hands-on consultative approach and ability to deliver bespoke systems. 

A key step towards achieving this goal is our decision to make gold-standard application software available to more, while continuing to believe that every system should be optimised to suit the needs of each individual client. Our new strategy will support Decent’s future development: emphasising our unique market offering, adding value to our services and providing a structure that will support our future evolution.

What doesn’t change

The new strategy has not been forced upon us by negative circumstances, nor will the planned evolution see any changes that are detrimental to clients, partners or staff. The planned changes are being made to enable us to maximise future opportunities and are firmly rooted in the elements that make Decent successful today. The key components that make the business successful remain. 

• We continue to be independently owned and managed and are committed to a programme of steady managed growth. 
• Our team continues to be our key asset and we are committed to invest in building strong personal relationships at all levels.
• Our specialism in Claris FileMaker remains, as the platform provides a flexible and future-proofed base to our development work.

Change will be driven through four key strands of activity:

Change 1: Brand definition

One of the key steps in the development of our new strategy was to redefine our offering and position in the marketplace. We did this through a programme of stakeholder research, market review and team consultation. 

The resulting brand positioning places our focus clearly on the benefits that clients get from working with Decent. At our heart is a commitment to deliver empowering partnerships, by developing tailored software systems that enable our clients to achieve their goals. We are proud of our ability to shape software around the specific needs each client and our ability to drive their success. 

This confident new positioning is reflected at all touchpoints: from our language to our logo.

Change 2: Brand consolidation

We have looked at our brand and business strategy and have made a key decision to consolidate our services under the Decent brand. The combined Decent business will now offer bespoke build and rescue, hosting and support, strategic consultancy services and software application ‘products’. 

This means that the current business brands of Setfast and Virtue will cease to exist and the products that they offer will form the basis of a new – and in time extended – range of Decent software applications covering common business practices. This new focus on Decent branded application products will enable clients to benefit from proven software systems, still delivered with the high level of client-specific configuration that would be expected from the Decent.

Change 3: Visual brand development

While our visual identity has supported us well for many years, it is no longer representative of our personality. Our new logo and visual identity is designed to modernise and bring new dynamism to our look and feel. Its warm colour reflects our passionate and inquisitive personality traits, while the logo evolves our heptagon icon to reflect our role in building bespoke systems. More prominent imagery dramatises our collaborative way of working and focus on getting under the skin of each client need.  

Change 4: Marketing and digital presence

The new brand and strategy goes deeper than the visual. We are changing the way in which we present ourselves to the world. A new website is being launched, which will be bolder in expressing who we are and will reflect our multi-service offering. 

We are also taking a more active approach to marketing and communications, focusing on digital channels to bring our expertise to a wider audience. This move supports our role as a market leader and an advocate for the development of software that reflects and resolves genuine business needs; software systems that appeal to the business and the user, not just the software house developer.

What next?

We are today launching our new brand and rolling it out across all Decent touchpoints. This new website promotes the first Decent branded software products. It features content about Decent services and details the team’s unique methodology and the ethos that underpins the business.  Social media channels will be reinvigorated with company news and thought leadership stories.

As the year progresses, Decent will tackle some of the big issues regarding the provision of business system software in the UK: campaigning for a new approach that benefits business owners and system users alike.

We will continue to invest in the development of new software applications, addressing needs that are complementary to our three initial launch products of inspection and audit, safety and quality and InDesign layout automation.  Following this model, they will cover common business functions and build on areas of proven success for Decent. 

Throughout this process, we will maintain a close relationship with our clients and partners, seeking feedback on all elements of operation and refining our approach to ensure that it delivers benefits for all.