Samuli Savo, Chairman of the Board of Trivore
As Chairman of the Board of Trivore, I have been asked how I see the company’s current situation and direction.
As I see it, Trivore is entering a new phase in its growth. The company is now evolving from its roots as a service company towards a scalable product business. At the same time, it retains what works: deep customer insight and a strong ability to deliver complex systems.
Our service business not only supports this, but also drives and accelerates product development. Indeed, the best solutions are created when services and products go hand in hand.
Service company legacy gives you a head start
Trivore has long been primarily a service company. For a long time, we helped clients with projects that required customisation and strong integration skills. Now we build our products around recurring needs. For example, we are systematically developing Trivore’s IAM solution into a product that meets many use cases. Yet its delivery still requires customisation.
Our own service capability gives us a significant competitive advantage:
1. We are present throughout the supply chain
The delivery of the product will not be left to an intermediate actor. We know our technology and can guarantee that it can be seamlessly adapted to the needs of our customers’ systems and processes.
2. Steering product development in the right direction
Through deliveries, we can quickly see which needs are recurring and worth productising – and which need to be kept customer-specific. This is reflected in both product architecture and functionality.
3. Identifying and fixing problems before they spread
Through services, we get direct contact with customers and partners.
A good product is not enough if the delivery is sub-par
Customers buying complex digital solutions often ask: who will ultimately deliver this to us? The mere existence of a product is not enough: customers want to know who is responsible for deployment and quality.
This is precisely why the ability to provide your own services strengthens trust. The customer has direct access to the product developers, and if something doesn’t work, we fix it ourselves. We don’t have to explain problems to third parties and wait for them to react.
The journey towards a product company is a step-by-step process
I see three clear stages in the development of Trivore:
1. Service orientation
We worked closely with our customers and handled all deliveries ourselves.
2. Product-service hybrid
The product we develop now forms the core of the business, but we continue to deliver it ourselves and tailor it to customer needs.
3. A product company with service capability
In the future, more and more deliveries will be made by partners. We will focus on product development, but retain the ability to solve difficult problems ourselves.
This model is not just for us. Many technology B2B companies are going through a similar phase.
My three tips for product/service integrators
If you are building a product on top of services or taking your service business in a more productised direction, I recommend you at least think about these things:
1. Keep your service capacity in your own hands – at least at the beginning
Without this, you won’t learn what your customers really need your product for.
2. Run your product and service business with different logic
The service side is driven by human resources, the product requires scalability. They do not live by the same metrics.
3. Get ready for the phases
Scaling up requires not only time, but also channels, collaboration and consistent learning.
Samuli has a strong background in leading growth companies and digital transformation. In addition to chairing the Board of Trivore, Samuli is currently leading Reaktor’s ecosystem business and has previously held positions such as Stora Enso’s Digital Director (CDO) and was responsible for the innovation business of the company’s Packaging Solutions division. At Enfo Group he led the development and transformation of new businesses and was responsible for acquisitions. At Gartner he worked as a consulting director focusing on the business impact of digitalisation.