pros

Businessmodel of PROS

Customer Segments

PROS provides a range of enterprise revenue and profit realisation software solutions to commercial and institutional clients across multiple industries. The Company organises its customers into the following categories:

  • Automotive and Industrial, comprising various automotive manufacturers and service providers, as well as other industrial manufacturers and operators;
  • Consumer Goods, comprising manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of various consumer goods products;
  • Insurance, comprising small, medium, and large insurance providers;
  • Business-to-Business Services, comprising business-to-business service providers, and general and specialist consulting firms;
  • Food and Beverage, comprising food and beverage producers and distributors;
  • Travel, comprising travel operators and agencies, travel service providers, and transportation companies;
  • Cargo, Freight and Logistics, comprising various logistics, courier, and delivery service providers;
  • Chemicals and Energy, comprising chemical processing and production companies, oil and gas production and distribution companies, and energy producers;
  • Healthcare, comprising healthcare organisations and healthcare service companies, as well as pharmaceutical and life science companies; and
  • Technology, comprising technology companies, and electronics manufacturers and distributors. PROS includes a number of well-known companies among its clients, including household names such as Qantas, Honeywell, Hertz, Hewlett Packard, Etihad Airways, and BASF. In 2015 no single customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s total revenue.

PROS’s largest market is its native US. The Company also serves a large global client base, with significant operations across Europe.

Value Propositions

PROS provides value to its clients in the following ways:

  • Its industry standing and reputation, with the Company established as a leading provider of enterprise revenue and profit realisation software, serving a range of high-profile companies and having a positive track record;
  • Its international sales reach, with the Company providing products globally, serving an extensive client base in its native US, as well as a substantial number of customers across Europe and further afield;
  • Its proprietary technologies, with the Company utilising a range of proprietary technologies in the development and implementation of its solutions, committing a substantial portion of its resources to innovation and research operations; and
  • Its industry expertise and experience, with the Company employing specialist technical personnel across its enterprise, enabling it to provide specific technical services, as well as a team of experienced industry executives. ### Channels

PROS operates a website at www.pros.com, through which it provides information on its various products, services, target industries, and partners. While the Company provides details of its various products, and offers a tool by which customers can identify the most appropriate solutions, it does not operate an online sales channel.

The Company’s solutions are delivered principally under a cloud-based software-as-a-service model, enabling customers to implement, access and use our software on the PROS cloud via an internet connection.

PROS markets and sells its products directly through its international direct sales force, which is organised into four target markets: manufacturing, distribution, services, and travel.

The Company’s sales operations are also organised geographically, with the sales personnel operating out of the Company’s principal offices in London, Paris, Toulouse, Munich, San Francisco, Skokie, and Austin. PROS’s sales force works in conjunction with its solutions personnel for selling and providing solution demonstrations to new customers.

Additionally, PROS sell and markets its software solutions indirectly through a network of channel partners, including authorised value added resellers and systems integrators.

Customer Relationships

Despite its online presence, PROS does not make sales to its customers on a self-service basis. The Company does, however, provide tools through its website that can be accessed independently and allows clients to arrange demonstrations online. Once purchased, the Company’s cloud-based solutions can be accessed by clients at any time, without any additional interaction with sales or service personnel.

PROS makes the bulk of its sales through its direct sales force, the members of which consult directly with clients over a period of time and provide software demonstrations, in order to ensure customers are provided the most appropriate solutions. The Company seeks to tailor its offerings where possible and establish long-term customer relationships.

PROS provides ongoing support to its customers, who can access personalised technical assistance from dedicated service personnel, across all the Company’s operating jurisdictions, either over the phone or by email. The Company makes a range of online resources available through its website, including white papers, data sheets, and on-demand webinars, which can be accessed independently.

Additionally, PROS operates social media accounts with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube, through which it provides company updates and interacts directly with customers. It also provides information on its various upcoming events, enabling clients to attend and interact with company representatives in person.

Key Activities

PROS provides a range of enterprise revenue and profit realisation software solutions that are designed to support the operations of business-to-business and business-to-consumer companies.

The Company also provides certain professional services regarding the implementation of its various software applications. PROS serves a broad range of industries – including the manufacturing, distribution, services and travel, consumer goods, insurance, chemicals and energy, and healthcare sectors – as well as a range of global markets, notably across North America and Europe.

PROS provides ongoing support services to its clients, including product maintenance and technical assistance, upgrades, maintenance releases and bug fixes. PROS’s solutions are provided on a software-as-a-service basis under fixed-term subscriptions.

Key Partners

PROS works closely with a broad network of partner companies and organisations that ensure the Company is able to provide effective and reliable solutions. These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:

  • Technology Partners, comprising technology companies, software developers, and application developers that assist in the development and maintenance of the Company’s software solutions;
  • Advisory and Consulting, comprising various general and corporate consulting firms, as well as specialist technical advisory firms that provide ongoing support and advisory services concerning the Company’s various activities;
  • Channel and Distribution Partners, comprising a network of third party channel partners, such as value added resellers and systems integrators, that support the distribution, delivery, and implementation of the Company’s products; and
  • Strategic and Alliance Partners, comprising market leading companies across multiple sectors with which the Company collaborates on various joint projects, including marketing, branding, and other projects. PROS has a number of key strategic partnerships in place. The Company lists many of its partners on its website, including technology partners Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAP; systems integrator partners Accenture, Deloitte, and Capgemini; and advisory partners Novus CPQ Consulting, Akribis Exact, and Beanstalk Revenue Management.

Key Resources

PROS’s key resources are its proprietary technologies and intellectual properties, its software solutions and platform, its IT and communications infrastructure, its network of sales and distribution channels, its partnerships, and its personnel.

PROS’s ability to develop and implement innovative solutions is dependent on the protection of its proprietary technologies and intellectual properties. The Company relies principally on trade secrets and unpatented proprietary know-how, rather than patent and trademark protection, to secure these properties.
Searches of records published by the US Patent and Trademark Office identified no patent applications filed in PROS’s name.

PROS also owns and or leases a number of physical properties around the world that utilises as its office network, including locations across the US, the UK, France, and Germany.

Cost Structure

PROS incurs costs in relation to the development of its technologies and solutions, the maintenance of its IT and communications infrastructure, the procurement of professional services, the operation of its sales and marketing channels, the management of its partnerships, and the retention of its personnel.

In 2015 PROS recorded total operating expenses in the amount of $24.14 million, comprising selling and marketing expenses in the amount of $8.54 million, general and administrative expenses in the amount of $10.29 million, and research and development expenses in the amount of $5.32 million.

Revenue Streams

PROS generates revenue through the provision of various enterprise revenue and profit realisation software solutions. The Company derives its revenue primarily under a software-as-a-service model, typically via-three year subscriptions with pricing based on the number of users, data volume and revenue managed by the software.

In 2015 PROS generated revenue for the year of $168.25 million, down on the $185.83 million recorded by the Company in 2014.

Written on October 25, 2017