WebTMS: to infinity and beyond

For the last two years WebTMS has been in the workshop undergoing a facelift as well as an engine transplant. In September 2016, WebTMS Infinity will be rolled out of the garage. The upgraded comprehensive trademark management suite, designed to encourage and assist in the deployment of good IP and trademark practices, won’t be available for all clients immediately due to a decision to stagger the roll-out to ensure a smooth and pleasant trip for all existing clients. Another significant business decision was taken to provide this major update at no additional cost, so all clients will be upgraded at no extra charge. In essence, this means existing clients have the keys to the shiny new car but the road trip for each will begin at different stages.

Established in 1998, and previously known as IPPO, WebTMS is, as you would expect from its name, an internet-based platform. It allows companies and law firms to manage their trademark portfolios in a number of ways, with the UK-based business boasting a rich list of globally based clients including global corporations Hershey’s and Hitachi, and law firms Clifford Chance, Fross Zelnick and Fieldfisher.

Nick March, IP business development manager, says the software’s web-based nature is significant because clients don’t have to purchase and install the software, but he notes that they can if they want to.

“Sometimes internal policy dictates that clients have to select the installed version over the ever increasingly popularity of the SaaS (software as a service) model.”

When discussing the heritage of the software, he says: “We’re a pioneer in web-based technology when it comes to IP portfolio management.”

Stressing the technological focus of the company, which also has representatives and a support team in the US, March explains that the main focus of the company is providing, developing, and supporting the software without “getting distracted” by providing other services such as trademark renewals, legal advice or other ancillary services.

Rita O’Kyere, director of sales and marketing (and one of three owners of the company), says “We have a great team, full of people with the knowhow to provide these services to a high level.” Having been with the company since day one, O’Kyere knows just how much its expertise has grown in nearly 20 years.

WebTMS was developed from scratch using a blueprint from people who understand trademark law and know what the end user requires, March explains, and is available for anyone seeking to manage an IP portfolio of any size.

While the company’s speciality lies in trademarks, it also caters towards all related areas such as licences, disputes, assignments, etc, as well as having dedicated modules for registered designs and copyright. WebTMS is a ‘one size fits all’ system, but it is scalable in terms of the number of records—clients’ portfolios range from as few as 50 records to as many as one million or more.

Of WebTMS’s unique selling points, March says clients “love” the ability to create full trademark records by downloading information from trademark offices.

“Within seconds they have a full record consisting of the official data as kept by the official registry,” he says, noting that this can not only save time but also instil confidence in the records created.

He uses a fictitious case study to explain further benefits of WebTMS.

“If we have a client who has acquired a new portfolio of 500 records, they can use the data import tool by looking for the owner of the marks against all their records in a specific country. This saves a lot of hassle and creates a lot of records quickly. It’s one tool that clients really enjoy.”

He continues: “Being web-based is a massive benefit to clients; all users require are the website address and internet connectivity. The functionality is the same anywhere; geographic location is unimportant.

“The automatic diary system allows users to put criteria into the system and receive an email telling them about their upcoming deadlines.

“The system is also user-friendly. Once you’re familiar with one area, it doesn’t take long to become an expert in another. We score highly in user-friendliness,” he says.

Real-time access

Another notable benefit of the software is client and agent access, according to O’Kyere, as clients and their agents can have real-time access to their records. March elaborates: “WebTMS users can issue their clients with login details to view just records which they own, at any time they want to. Additionally, user logins can be issued globally to their local agents, allowing them to amend and update records, such as the core details, deadlines entry, and document uploads.”

According to March, one important ingredient of the “winning formula” is WebTMS’s client support. “Anyone who picks up a call in the office is able to help with technical support to some degree.”

The company’s expertise in converting and migrating records from existing datasets is a further USP, says March, especially as some of the programmers have been with the firm for a long time and therefore have first-hand and rich knowledge of a wide range of competitors’ data styles.

“Being web-based is a massive benefit to clients; all users require are the website address and internet connectivity. The functionality is the same anywhere; geographic location is unimportant."

“There is so much experience and the conversions are handled expertly. This instils a lot of confidence.”

After agreeing to migrate data en masse, clients can be naturally worried about the process given how much crucial information is in transit, but March says that WebTMS formulates a “sensible project” and that the company has “excellent conversion results”.

“People have commented on how smooth the implementation and migration of WebTMS has been,” he adds.

O’Kyere explains that once the company walked away from a pitch empty-handed but two years later it was approached by that party because the service provider it had picked struggled with the conversion. “Within three months they were up and running with us,” she says.

March explains that WebTMS is continually developed based on client feedback, and that the company is happy to customise the system where possible, although inevitably this brings additional costs.

“Theoretically, any customisation is possible, but the cost will be increased depending on the complexity of the request. We will draw up a plan based on request and provide a quotation to the client. Past customisation projects are diverse in size and range: we have done simple customisation, including renaming a field, up to creating whole new modules from scratch, which is obviously more advanced and therefore time consuming. The old cliché of ‘no job is too small or large’ actually applies.”

This type of attitude is crucial in a competitive market that includes companies such as Dennemeyer, Patrix and CPA Global. To fend off the competition, WebTMS relies on word of mouth about its USPs and prestigious list of clients (indeed, the two will often be linked).

“If you’re one of these companies [eg, a leading law firm], you’re (hopefully) not going to waste time with a system that simply doesn’t work, get burned and have to start the process over. So having satisfied clients like this massively helps. Word travels fast within a ‘small world’ industry such as IP,” says March.

“Our clients and potential clients do their research and dedicate a significant amount of time on projects like these before they make their decision. After all, it’s a big decision to make,” O’Kyere adds.

So what does the future hold for WebTMS and its services? In September, WebTMS Infinity will be phased in following a decision to upgrade the current system. In operation for around ten years, the current version of the software has always been enhanced and updated where necessary, eg, after legislative changes, and will continue to be until all clients are using WebTMS Infinity. According to March it is robust, reliable, user friendly and practical. But now it’s time to give WebTMS a facelift and bring it into the 21st century, he says.

“As with the majority of non-legislative updates, we turn to our clients for advice on what they deem useful and many ideas were borne and implemented after one of their bi-annual user group meetings where the company collected ideas from clients about how to enrich and improve the current software,” March and O’Kyere explain.

“The new technology will have a stronger and more modern look and feel, and a better interface in general.”

“It’s also an opportunity to move to a newer technology that runs the software,” says March.

“It’s already so user-friendly so where the core functionality is concerned, we will not deviate far from the path of the current system, but the user experience will become richer. There is a new dashboard feature where individual users can tag their favourite cases, another area shows cases that they have amended recently, as well as a pane dedicated to showing the all-important diary which is populated with upcoming deadlines and reminders.

“Also, they can change the language, which is great for multilingual and globally based users. Users can also rearrange how on-screen reports are shown, search fields are ordered and how information on main records is shown, not to mention an infinite amount of reports available in all common formats, with Microsoft Excel being included as standard, as we recognise this as becoming increasingly popular with users when running reports,” he adds.

In a wider context, there may be opportunities for WebTMS to expand its offerings. March says he has noticed various companies in the industry “but with different niches in the market” collaborating to provide a “multi-faceted solution”.

O’Kyere says that WebTMS has collaborated with companies in the past and there may be interest in doing something with others. WebTMS would assess where a deal might be mutually beneficial for clients and the business, March adds.

For the meantime, at least, WebTMS has priorities closer to home. Users of the system will be bracing for changes to a technology they use on a daily basis, and they may need time to adapt to its new look and feel. But they can rest assured that, based on its track record to date, WebTMS will be on hand to guide them through the new landscape.

Rita O’Kyere is director of sales and marketing at WebTMS and has been at the helm of the company alongside her fellow directors for the past 19 years. She strives to provide the best IP solutions and service to customers, understanding that most clients feel that it is a leap of faith to move from one software system to another. She can be contacted at: rita@ippo.com

Nick March is the IP business development manager at Web TMS. Before joining WebTMS, his background was firmly in intellectual property, managing a trademark formality department as well as having many years’ experience as a trademark administrator, meaning he understands clients’ needs and can talk in their language. He can be contacted at: nick@ippo.com