About the Business
Customer Segments
At VeXeRe, our Goods Management System caters to two primary customer groups:
- Bus Operators: With over 500 corporate users across Vietnam and counting, we’re proud to serve as the foremost solution for bus operators seeking to streamline their operations. Each account could have from 10 to hundreds of individual users. Each of them might have different roles including Manager, Driver, and Warehouse Operator,…
- Personal Users: Our embeddable widget (on the Bus Operator Website) provides personal users with next-level control, enabling them to track deliveries and request last-mile drop-off with unparalleled ease.
Value proposition
At VeXeRe, we recognized the inefficiencies of pen-and-paper or Excel-based cargo management for bus operators in Vietnam. That’s why we created GMS, which offers customers the following benefits:
- Standardized solutions: With GMS, bus operators can expect all data points and information to be collected in a standard way across all offices. We also provide industry-wide workflows that help customers perform at their best.
- One source of truth: GMS stores all data on a single system accessible by all users and customers. We also integrate with Bus Management Systems to ensure all data stays synchronized.
- Visibility over performance: Thanks to standardized and digitalized data within GMS, we provides multiple analytics and dashboard options, helping users make more data-informed decisions.
- Flexibility with mobile apps: Our mobile app solutions for Android and iOS give users 24/7 access to their data, even offline.
- Best-in-class experiences for customers’ customers: With advanced order tracking systems, cargo senders have clear visibility over their shipments, reducing workload for call centers and increasing customer satisfaction.
Key partners/stakeholders
At VeXeRe, we understand that our Goods Management System is only as strong as the partnerships that enable its functionality. That’s why we’ve collaborated with several key players to provide our customers with top-tier usability, including:
- Bus Management System: as a component of the same company, it’s critical that we work closely with BMS to integrate our shared data points and components efficiently.
- Website developers: we also partner with website developers to embed our solution on the Bus Operator’s website.
- Last-mile delivery services: to provide Bus Operators with the greatest possible control, we’ve integrated our platform with popular delivery services like Grab to enable the seamless creation of orders within GMS.
- Multiple internal teams: enabling robust solution development requires close collaboration between VeXeRe’s Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, and other internal teams. We work closely together to ensure all customer needs are addressed.
- External stakeholders: beyond our internal team, VeXeRe works closely with both our customers and users to achieve success. Close collaboration with these groups is essential to building a solution that effectively solves the pain points experienced by stakeholders across the board.
Revenue streams
Our product operates on a subscription basis, with customers paying for each user subscription. The cost of each subscription is determined by a variety of factors, including company size and subscription plan.
We also offer paid feature requests, enabling our users to request specific features that leverage our platform in innovative ways. By tailoring our offerings to meet the unique needs of every individual customer, we’re able to deliver unparalleled value.
Finally, GMS also monetizes through our commission-based model, which sees us receive payments from our integration with 3rd party last-mile delivery services. This approach provides additional value to our customers, enabling them to take advantage of diverse logistics partners while still enjoying all the core benefits of our Goods Management System.
My role as a Product Owner
As the leader of a Scrum team at GMS, I’ve had the privilege to work with a talented team of nine developers (front-end, back-end, mobile), two QA testers, and a designer. My role has encompassed a variety of duties, including but not limited to:
Facilitating the Scrum Team
- I facilitated a range of sprint events (daily standups, reviews, retrospectives, and grooming sessions) to ensure that the team worked cohesively, delivering high-quality features on time.
- I created detailed Product Requirement Documents for new features/tasks, validating them with customers while collaborating with the designer. Sometimes, I also design the simple UI on my own.
- I supported the Scrum team by testing newly released tickets on UAT and Staging environments and preparing tutorial videos to help users become familiar with features.
- Based on insights from customers, the sales team, CS team, and competitor research, I collaborated with the CEO to plan the product roadmap.
- I acted as a bridge between the team and customer voice, improving the team’s workflows to work more effectively and efficiently.
Working with Customers/Stakeholders
- I conducted user interviews and discovery meetings with bus operators, gathering feedback and requirements essential to the success of GMS.
- I’ve also conducted several product demos, including showcasing GMS’ capabilities to potential customers. The demos were mostly offline so I was traveling a lot throughout Vietnam.
- I worked closely with teams across the organization, including marketing, sales, and customer support, to ensure that everyone was aligned and working towards common goals.
Business Responsibilities
- One key responsibility was developing and implementing new monetization strategies including pricing policies such as the freemium model, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue.
- I proposed a new policy to charge users for requesting customized features, reducing customer requests and increasing revenue.
- I also played a critical role in working with last-mile delivery service providers, including Grab, DHL, and Ahamove. This involved negotiating business contracts, devising integration plans, and managing commissions.
Key takeaways
As the PO of a Scrum team at GMS, I’ve gained insights into various aspects of product development and business strategy. Here are some of the key lessons learned during my time in this position:
- Data is the foundation of value: By standardizing and digitalizing user data while providing analytics, we could create unprecedented value for our customers. Utilizing AI in analytics and automation could have taken this even further, unlocking greater potential for our product.
- Seeking customer solutions should be balanced with critical thinking: While customers are excellent at identifying problems, they may lack a comprehensive understanding of the product and technology. As a result, their solutions may not always be the best. As such, I learned to balance my approach, utilizing critical thinking to sift through their feedback and identify the most valuable solutions.
- Paid features filter low-value requests: Providing free feature requests allows customers to ask for anything they can think of, whether it’s valuable or not. Implementing payment barriers helps filter feature requests, ensuring each request is carefully analyzed to determine its true value.
- Integration accelerates expansion: Integrating with third-party services is an excellent way to expand a product quickly and efficiently. This also helps increase functionality and improve the overall experience for customers.
- Understanding team members is crucial: Understanding team members’ capabilities and needs is essential for delegating tasks effectively. Doing so ensures that each team member is assigned the proper task and can work efficiently, leading to successful outcomes for the team and, ultimately, the product.
