CEO Insights: Creditcall Named To “1000 Companies to Inspire Britain” List

At Creditcall, we have a lot to celebrate this month. We were recently named to the “1000 Companies to Inspire Britain” list by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). According to the LSEG, the 1000 Companies list is an annual celebration of some of the fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK. We’re obviously very excited and honoured that our Bristol-based company made the list this year.

It’s easy to look at the companies listed and wonder what makes them special? Why do they deserve to be on the list? I thought I’d take a moment to explain why I believe Creditcall made the list this year. When you see all that’s going on, I think you’ll understand.

First, you might be wondering what we actually do. Founded in 1996, our company plays a critical role in enabling payments — via chip cards, smart phones, tablets and other devices — possible not just in our region, but worldwide. We have customers in our home area such as Bristol Airport (paying for parking online and at the parking machines, as well as a queue jumping kiosk where you can purchase a queue-busting ticket), the Cabot Circus car park, Temple Meads ticketing, and Five Guys’. Beyond our local area, Creditcall has developed solutions being used all over the world, and has been an instrumental player in delivering chip card technology to the US market, who has lagged behind the UK by nearly a decade.

That’s who we are and what we do. Now let’s begin with our growth. In nearly every way one can measure the growth of a business, we’re growing by double-digits. In fact, we’re growing by triple-digits in some areas! Even more impressive is that we’ve done so without the need for external investments. Whereas some companies (particularly startups in our Fintech industry) are taking advantage of outside investments and blowing through the cash with little regard for profitability, we’ve grown organically by bootstrapping our own efforts.

What makes all of this particularly exciting is that some of growth we’ve experienced will help ensure our overall growth in the coming years. For example, we saw a 300 percent uplift in qualified leads over last 12 months obtained through our web site and email marketing efforts. A large part of this success is due to usability and SEO initiatives undertaken with the launch of our new website in 2016, as well as the use of powerful marketing automation tools. These leads will fill our sales funnel and aid our forward momentum.

Our success stems from a few key areas. First, and foremost, is our people. We just hired our 100th employee, which is a great milestone, and we’re still looking to make a lot more hires. We take great pride in making our work environment fulfilling, which equates to employees who stick around for a long time. In fact, just a few months ago we celebrated quite a few employees hitting their 5-, 10- and 15-year anniversaries. Without smart, dedicated people, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the world-class solutions to market at the pace we do.

Second, our technology and solutions are truly world-changing. With Creditcall’s help, the way business is being conducted and payment transactions are made, is changing. This small but influential company situated at the heart of Bristol’s Harbourside is impacting the world. Everyone inside our offices knew this was happening, and now LSEG recogised our influence by placing us on the “1000 Companies to Inspire Britain” list.

While all this is obviously news to celebrate, we know that there’s still plenty of work to be done with no rest in sight. The work we do, the products we create, and the services we offer at the pace the industry demands is very taxing. Thankfully, we have the right people on staff and are well-positioned in the industry to take advantage of every opportunity and continue our growth trajectory.

Insights from Lars Pedersen, Creditcall CEO