We’re thrilled to announce that Voovio has won the Digital Category at the World Energy Supply Chain Awards (WESCA) during the EIC Middle East & Africa Regional Awards 2024! This award is a huge milestone for our team, reflecting our commitment to driving innovation and excellence also in the Middle East.
In its 8th year, EIC’s Survive and Thrive initiative continues to explore the 15 most popular growth strategies used by the world’s energy supply chain in challenging market conditions. The findings are crucial, revealing a conundrum of record growth—96% of companies are forecasting record revenues for 2024—balanced against geopolitical and policy uncertainties, which are prompting more cautious decision-making and hampering investment.
Read the interview with Ahmed Alaa, Sales Director for the MENA region how Voovio is meeting the unique needs of MENA clients through agile persistence.
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Interview
How is Voovio thriving?
“Established in 2017, Voovio has quickly built upon a renowned reputation as a technological disruptor in the energy sector. Through the provision of its cutting-edge digital platform solution, the firm is empowering operational excellence among field operators around the world.
After successfully established itself in European and US markets, the firm has adapted everything from its typical operating processes to its marketing strategies to gain greater traction in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.”
What were the key challenges Voovio faced in introducing its technology to the MENA market?
“Voovio is transforming the landscape of operational training. At the core of the company is a state-of-the-art solution that harnesses proprietary enhanced reality technologies to help optimise the performance of field operators.
This groundbreaking technology has proven a hit in Europe and the US, enabling the creation of precise digital replicas of operational assets complemented by sophisticated standard operating procedure simulators. With this advanced resource, Voovio can support field operators as an ever-present, 24/7 virtual subject matter expert, providing indispensable guidance and insight throughout entire project lifecycles.
Having established the brand in western markets, Voovio turned its attentions to new frontiers – namely MENA. Here, the marketing team set about leveraging the firm’s traditionally successful methods to increase exposure in the region. However, they quickly found they were up against some previously unseen resistance.
In MENA, Voovio’s highly advanced technologies faced challenges regarding more limited awareness of technologies, and resistance to adoption owing to the firm’s limited track record in the region. Further, the company found that many of its potential prospects viewed its solution as a nice to have – not an essential tool.”
How did Voovio’s regional-specific strategy help overcome resistance and gain visibility in MENA?
“To overcome these stumbling blocks and succeed in MENA, Voovio chose to adapt its approach, opting to leverage a new regional-specific strategy that has been in deployment for the past 18 months. Key to this has been strategic outreach, the company aiming to build trust through sharing successful case studies and demonstrating the tangible value that its solution provides in the way of operational excellence.
Here, a high level of networking has been carried out, often with technical involvement in order to directly illustrate the merits of the Voovio solution to clients and prospects. This, coupled with a wider partnership approach with agents, has provided the firm with greater visibility and traction with key contacts in markets such as Abu Dhabi and Oman.
Attempts to land large NOC contracts have proven tricky given the firm’s lack of a regional or client-specific track record. However, it has sought to persevere, targeting important prospects in multiple ways, from technical conferences to conversations via digital channels. The company has also sought to demonstrate the viability of its product to operational teams directly, focusing on aspects such as ROI, with the Voovio digital simulator solution enabling operating teams to access plants remotely.
After holding several meetings with management and dozens of meetings with the technical teams of one particular client, the firm has also brought its IT teams into the process earlier than usual, owing to the demands on security clarity in the MENA region.
Indeed, being flexible and adaptable in these ways has been critical, providing potential clients with the confidence that their needs will be met when embracing these new technologies.
From technological challenges and resource limitations to market dynamics and resistance to change, the company faced several hurdles in securing contracts with key clients and gaining a foothold in the region. Integrating new technologies and systems often presented technical hurdles, such as compatibility issues or learning curves for employees, for example. However, perseverance has paid off, the company having won its first contract in MENA with a blue-chip client.
With both KPIs and sales statistics performing well, Voovio is now on an upward trajectory in the region. With these initial contracts having laid the groundwork, acting as key case studies for other regional prospects, sustained growth is now anticipated moving forward.”
Want to learn more about how Voovio’s award-winning digital solution can transform your operations? Contact us here to discover how we can help your team achieve operational excellence!
