2020 Distributors Conference Recap

Overview

We hold our annual Distributors Conference to connect with the people who sell our cloud-based SCADA products and services to utility companies all over the country.

It’s a great opportunity to review progress challenges from 2019 while providing an overview of what to expect in 2020. The annual event was held at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel, which provided a great setting for both social and business gathering.

And how about that Preds game?!?

We would like to thank all of the distributors that made the trip to Nashville to help make the 2020 Distributors Conference a huge hit! We look forward to seeing what 2020 holds.

2019 Year in Review – We’ve Been Busy

We spent a lot of time and energy and growing and strengthening our infrastructure. This will enable us to improve upon our manufacturing processes, as well as the 5-Star customer support that our clients have come to expect from us.

Key Points

• NetSuite live this month
• New HR and payroll system
• New IT support contractor
• Completed E/ONE development and integration
• Completed SOC 2 Type 1 certification
• Increased staff by 20%

Status of the Networks

Iridium

• No changes, Satellites were replaced in 2018

Cellular

• Currently shipping LTE CAT-1 for AT&T(1.5 years) and Verizon (2.5 years)
• Transitioning to LTE-CAT-M in spring
  • Longer range compared to LTE-CAT-1
• Latest HTT software enables us to upgrade modem firmware over the air if something changes in the networks

High Tide to Handle Upgrades Directly in 2020

The network upgrading process had mixed results in 2019. This year we want to remove the upgrade burdens from the distributors and facilitate it internally. Exceptions can be made by request. If customers want to pay for a service call, we will coordinate that with you on a case-by-case basis. 

Generally speaking, tech support will contact end-users directly to schedule upgrades. To simplify the upgrading process, High Tide will ship to the end-user, bill the end-user, manage the process of recovering the old units, and provide distributors with reports on the progress we’re making.

2020 Sales Focus

Lift Stations

Lift station sales have a lower barrier to entry than many larger-scale services. There are many opportunities for upselling and selling at a higher scale. We have started selling to much larger sewer utilities, so don’t be afraid to reach out to larger entities in your territories.

Our lift station monitoring software provides system performance data for the cost of an alarm dialer. It’s really a no brainer for any sized utility, as it enables them to be proactive about their equipment functionality while saving them time and money. We have created a new application-specific brochure to help facilitate sales. It contains refined messaging aimed at making the decision to upgrade an easy one. 

SOC 2

SOC 2 is an auditing procedure that ensures your service providers securely manage your data to protect the interests of your organization and the privacy of its clients. For security-conscious businesses, SOC 2 compliance is a minimal requirement when considering a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider.

Companies moving their data to the cloud, your vendors included, often have legitimate concerns about the security of their sensitive information. Certifications like SOC 2 Type II provide an independent assurance that the cloud platform they select is safe and secure.

2020 Distributors Conference Summary

• HTT will handle 2G upgrades directly with customers
• HTT will also transition to direct customer billing over the next year
• Sales focus for 2020 – lift station applications!
• Use HTT for virtual meetings in 2020
• Expect follow-up regarding future sales expectations/agreements
• Expect quarterly calls to follow up with activity and sales pipelines