Customer Spotlight: Roundrock Technology
Founded in 2003, Roundrock Technology (formerly TOURtech) was one of Flex’s first 10 customers (thank you!). Founder and CEO, Allen Cook (like any good tech company) started in his garage with a dozen bar codes, and since then things have grown a bit. The company now manages thousands of assets and works on international events like Riot Games Valorant’s Champion’s Tournament (in Iceland), League of Legends in South Korea, and for brands/organizations like AEG, Live Nation, NFL, Verizon, and more.
The truth is we were eager to speak with Allen not only because Roundrock has such a long history with Flex, but also because the organization once decided to leave Flex and try a competitor. Only to come back. Obviously, the opportunity to learn about that experience is rich with key lessons. Not only for us, but also for anybody thinking about Flex or other solutions.
So, why the switch? In full transparency, it’s easy to ask questions like this when a customer comes back, but we wanted to know. (And note: We’re not going to name names here. If you/your company wants more information – feel free to reach out to us or to Allen.)
“Frankly, we were frustrated by Flex4. We survived downturns after 9/11, the financial crisis, real estate crash–we bore them all. The pandemic just hit differently. We weren’t prepared for a global shutdown of our entire business and we wanted to look at any/all options.”
Allen went on to tell us that he spent thousands of dollars to implement the system and then spent more per month than he was spending with Flex. The system was more complicated, less adaptable, more cumbersome to build quotes, yadda, yadda, yadda. (You get the idea.)
Allen concluded, “We spent a year with (company) and switched back to Flex. Everything is easier with Flex.”
Allen realized what his company needed to overcome the pandemic wasn’t a new platform, it was new offerings. So they established a software development arm to help manage their deployments, a permanent install division, and IT Depot, a 3rd party logistics solution custom built for the industry.
IT Depot captured our interest. We’ve heard from other customers that they struggle to get their gear to the right place at the right time. Sometimes because they are supporting east coast events from a west coast warehouse. Others just don’t have the proper, dedicated warehouse space to do so. Enter IT Depot. Instead of a mad scramble everytime you need something you can rely on Roundrock’s decades of asset management expertise to manage that for you. They house your gear in their warehouses and get it to you on demand. Live Nation was an early customer and has realized immediate benefits. We liken it to Amazon fulfillment for our industry. Interested? Reach out and ask them for the Flex special introductory offer 😉
Along with these new offerings came the need for a new brand. “We stopped touring almost a decade ago and the industry thought of us as wifi people. We have diversified our business.’” TOURtech became Roundrock to reflect its changed focus to festivals and big corporate events and expertise as “IT for the Entertainment Industry.” Though they still hang out on the road with the Grateful Dead and the Dave Matthews Band from time to time 😉
As you can see Roundrock Technology has reimagined itself in many ways. Yet Flex still remains a key part of their future. Why? “We love Flex because it’s so damn flexible. Flex starts simple and adapts to your working model rather than forcing one on you.” He added, “Flex grows as you’re ready to grow. Frankly, we wish we had better understood the full power of the platform sooner.”
Naturally, we asked if he had any suggestions for how we could better help with that? “It’s just about having the time to dig into all the bits. Still, I would definitely recommend hiring Flex to provide training to more efficiently adapt the system into your specific workflow. I don’t think I can stress that enough.”
Allen shared that the power of Flex is in its accuracy and the confidence that gives to his staff and clients. “In retail, you can delay store opening with limited impact. But when you’re on tour and working festivals, there’s no option for delay. And really, no acceptance of anything less than perfect.”
Speaking of perfect, we’re not and we know that. But we will keep working, growing, building, iterating, and innovating to get closer. We don’t feel like we succeed unless our customers succeed. And stories like Roundrock prove that we mean it. Of all the points of pride we feel about our platform, Allen’s acknowledgement that our Customer Support is also superior is where we feel it most.
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Flex is proud to have worked with Roundrock Technologies and its innovative team to “do the job plus a little bit more” since 2010.
